Safe Haven
by RozaBelikova-x
Summary: When Rose Hathaway gets assaulted at a drunk party, she gets saved by a stranger. After that night, she doesn't feel safe anymore and decides to take self-defense classes. What happens when she finds out that her instructor is none other than Dimitri Belikov, the stranger who saved her that disastrous night? Can he help her face her demons? And will love blossom along the way? AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my dear readers! Here I am again, with a new story. **

**WARNING!: I'm rating this story M due to its violent content (it's mainly in this chapter and it isn't detailed, I'm just rating it M to be sure). Please read at your own discretion.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

**RPOV**

_Ugh, I don't even want to be here._

That was my first thought when I followed my best friend inside the house. Lissa had been begging me to come to this party with her. I'd declined at first, but she'd kept bugging me about it until I'd said yes. I didn't even know this guy who was hosting this party. But Lissa said that he was an okay guy and that tonight would be great. His parents were out of town so now everyone from school was here, dancing the night away to the loud music coming from the speakers.

"Let's dance!" she said, pulling at my hand.

I made a face. "No thanks, Liss. Not now. I'm…" I looked around and found the kitchen. "I'm going to get something to drink."

She looked disappointed, but then shrugged. "Fine. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

I nodded, then turned around and went to the kitchen. I tried to find a non-alcholic drink, but it seemed it was impossible to find. I glanced at the beer bottles in the fridge. _Oh, screw it. One drink won't kill me. _Maybe this would help me get into the party mood.

"Rose," someone greeted. "Where's your other half?" He smirked. "The pretty one."

I turned around and looked into the piercing blue eyes of none other than Christian Ozera. Rolling my eyes, I said, "She's in the living room. Dancing."

"Awesome," he said, already making his way to the door.

I sighed and took another sip of my beer. Christian and Lissa had started dating recently. I supported Lissa in pretty much every decision she made, but this… Well, I had a hard time supporting this decision because Christian Ozera was a sarcastic little bastard. And I could know, because he was my neighbor and loved to piss me off by waking me up extra early in the morning during the weekends.

Lissa dating Christian also meant I didn't get to see my best friend as often anymore. Lissa and I had been inseparable since kindergarten. She'd had boyfriends before and so had I, but she'd always come first and the same applied to me. Until now, it seemed.

The last few weeks, she'd almost spent every free moment with Christian. It was like she'd completely forgotten about me. I guess I should feel lucky she'd invited me to come over to the party tonight, but I didn't feel all that lucky.

Suddenly, someone slung his arm around my shoulder. "Hey Rose. What's up? I thought you'd be with my sister."

Snapping out of my reverie, I looked up at Andre, Lissa's older brother. They had the same pale blond hair and jade green eyes.

"Uh yeah… I think she's dancing with Christian right now," I muttered.

His face darkened a little. "Oh."

Just like me, he didn't like Christian very much. But then again, he hadn't liked any of Lissa's boyfriends. He was a very protective brother.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can find them. Don't drink too much," he added, winking at me.

I forced a smile and then took another gulp of my beer. The bottle was empty so, after a moment of hesitation, I took a new one. I would need the alcohol if I wanted to make it through the night. Sighing, I strolled over to a few people who were playing beer pong.

"Wanna join us?" a blond guy asked me, smiling at me. He was tall and handsome. His messy hair hung over his eyes and he brushed it aside with his hand.

I smiled back. "Sure."

Three games later, I was feeling light-headed and dizzy. If I'd learned anything tonight, it was that I'd become a lightweight over the past year and it was pretty clear I sucked at playing beer pong. Stumbling back to the kitchen, I sat down on a chair. The blond guy, who'd introduced himself as Nathan, sat down next to me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I just need to sit down for a moment."

I buried my face in my hands and took deep breaths until I felt better.

"You're not from around here," I said, trying to make conversation and hoping it would distract me from my queasiness.

"Actually, I am," he replied. "I just haven't been here in a while. I left when I started college."

"Oh, when did you leave?"

"About two years ago."

"So you're, like, twenty years old?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I already thought you looked older than most people here."

"Yeah, I'm only here because my brother invited me here."

"Oh, you have a brother? Do I know him?"

"I don't know."

When I finally looked up, I wasn't feeling as dizzy anymore.

"Better?" Nathan asked.

I nodded and smiled. "All better."

"Here, drink this," Nathan said, handing me a cup. I looked at the clear liquid for a moment before drinking it down in one gulp.

"What the hell is that?!" I coughed. It was like my throat was on fire. "I thought this was water!"

Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Nah, it's vodka."

My eyes almost bugged out of my head. "Vodka?!" I exclaimed, still coughing like crazy. "God… This stuff is strong." He nodded and got up to get me a cup of water. I eyed it suspiciously when he handed it to me. "This _is_ water, right?"

He grinned. "Yes. I promise."

Carefully, I took a sip. "Yeah, it's definitely water," I said, sighing in relief.

Nathan laughed again. "So now that you are feeling better, would you like to dance with me?"

Strangely, I was up for a little bit of dancing right now. I got up – and was happy I didn't stumble or anything – and said, "Sure."

But less than five minutes later, I was feeling dizzy again and this time it was much, much worse. "Ow… I don't feel good. I don't feel good at all."

I was seeing black spots and felt like I was going to collapse any minute now. I felt someone wrap an arm around me.

"Here. Lean on me," Nathan murmured. "I'll get you to some place where it's calmer so you can rest for a little bit."

I nodded and let him drag me away. He opened a door and led me inside before gently putting me down on the bed. I lay back, moaning, and closed my eyes. There were black spots everywhere and I was feeling so nauseous. Could it be from the vodka? It hadn't been that much, but that stuff was strong.

"Stay at the door. Don't let anyone in," I heard Nathan murmur to someone.

"Where…you…going?" I tried to sit up, but my limbs were slow and heavy. My breathing was irregular and I was feeling lightheaded again. Nathan walked back to me, a grin on his face. "What's…going…on?"

"Just lay back and relax," he said in a soothing voice. "Everything will be alright. Just go to sleep."

I could barely keep open my eyes; my eyelids felt so heavy. Sleep sounded good. But then, suddenly, I felt the bed dip and then I felt hands sliding over my body. I forced my eyes to open and looked at Nathan in shock.

"What are you doing?" I said drowsily. "Get off of me!"

"Relax, babe," he said grinning, pressing his body against mine. "Just relax. I swear, it'll be fun."

"No!" I pushed against his body, but he wouldn't budge. His body felt heavy on mine as he pressed me down into the mattress. "What did you do to me? Did you...drug me?"

"Shh," he whispered. "Keep quiet and enjoy it."

His hands started to unbutton my shirt and spread it open. I couldn't move my arms and I had to fight to stay awake. "No…please don't," I mumbled. "Get off of me. Get off… I don't want you. Leave me alone." I tried to wiggle away from him, but everything felt so heavy. I just couldn't move. Tears started to roll down my cheeks when his hands went to the zipper of my skirt. "Don't! Please don't! Just let me go! I won't tell anyone."

"Quiet," he snapped.

"Please don't…" I begged, the words barely audible. The black spots started to take over and I realized I wouldn't be awake much longer. "Please…"

It was the last thing I managed to say before darkness came over me.

**DPOV**

"Come on, pick up your damn phone," I muttered, glancing at the house where music was blaring out of speakers. There was a dozen people in the front yard, talking and laughing, and probably all of them were drunk. I bet it was much worse inside.

Sighing, I put my phone back into my pocket. She was not going to hear it, not with the loud music and people yelling. I would have to go inside and get her myself.

I got out of the car, slamming the door shut, and stalked across the street to the house where the party was held. It was so crowded I had to push my way inside. I realized I wasn't going to find my sister so easily in this crowd.

"Viktoria?" I called, making my way to the living room. No, she wasn't here. I checked the kitchen and the hall, but she wasn't there either. Maybe she was upstairs. I hoped so or else I didn't know what to do. I noticed two guys standing at either side of a door, both of them grinning. I walked over to them. "Have you seen a girl with long, brown hair? Her name's Viktoria."

The blond guy looked at me. "I don't know who you're talking about. And you're not supposed to be here. Go back downstairs."

I looked at the door, wondering who was inside. "Why?" I looked at the other guy, who suddenly looked nervous. "What's behind this door? Is my sister there maybe?" My eyes widened. "She isn't in there with a guy, right?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" the blond guy snapped, stepping in front of the door. "Go back downstairs!"

"Why are you guarding that door?"

"Go back downstairs," the other guy said nervously. He looked like he was sweating.

"No. I don't trust this," I said. Before they could say another word, I pushed the both of them aside. The blond guy pulled at my arm, but I gave him another push and he stumbled to the ground. I opened the door – lucky for me it wasn't locked – and stepped inside, flicking the lights on.

My eyes widened in shock and horror when I saw what was happening. There lay a girl, unconscious, on the bed with a guy on top of her, stripping her naked. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and pulled the guy away from the girl.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" the guy yelled.

He struggled to get free and tried to punch me. I dodged him and pushed him into the wall. He came right back at me so I punched him in the face, knocking him out.

"What the fuck?" one of the guys at the door screamed.

Ignoring them, I walked over to the girl. She moaned softly and opened her eyes slightly before they fell closed again. "Help…me," she croaked out. "Please."

It seemed like I'd come in just in time. Her blouse had been unbuttoned and her skirt was down to her knees, but the boy hadn't had a chance to remove the rest of her clothes. Thank God. The girl grasped at her skirt, trying to pull it back up. I quickly shrugged off my duster and covered her with it.

"It's okay," I murmured to her, taking her in my arms and lifting her from the bed. "You're safe now."

I walked out of the room. The two guys who'd stood guard looked at me in shock, but didn't do anything to stop me. Maybe they didn't want to get knocked out like their friend.

I walked downstairs with the girl in my arms, who was falling into unconsciousness again. "Don't fall asleep," I said, nudging her. "Stay awake for me, okay?"

She gave me a tiny nod and tried to grasp my shirt, but her fingers slipped away.

"Dimka!"

I looked up at the sound of my sister's voice. "Viktoria! Where the hell have you been? I called you a dozen times!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I lost track of time and I didn't hear my phone because of all the noise. Why are you carrying that girl?"

"I found her in a bedroom upstairs," I answered. "There was a guy with her. She was unconscious. I think the guy was going to…"

"Going to do what, Dimka?" Viktoria said sharply, her eyes wide.

"Rape her," I said, my voice getting caught in my throat. Vika gasped and I added, "Let's go before they follow us. We need to get this girl to the hospital. I think she was drugged."

Vika hurried after me. She opened the car door for me and I put the girl into the passenger's seat. When I was about to close the door, the girl reached for my hand.

"Don't…leave me alone," she whispered. She barely managed to keep her eyes open.

"It's okay," I said softly. "I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh my God, that's Rose Hathaway," Vika gasped as she leaned forward in the backseat to get a look at the girl.

"You know her?" I asked as I gunned the engine and sped away. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"No, not really," she replied. "She's in my school. She's one of the popular kids. I didn't know that she was at the party, though." She looked at Rose again. "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

"I don't know," I said sighing as I glanced at the girl. "I'm not sure if that guy did something to her. I think he was about to when I came in."

"Let's hope he didn't get the chance, then," Vika said. "Poor Rose."

"We should go to the hospital," I said.

That got a reaction from the girl. "No!" she moaned. "No hospital. I'm…I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine," I told her.

"I…am," she managed to say. "I don't want to go…to the hospital. Just drive me…home."

"What about the police?" I asked. "Don't you want to report that guy?"

"Please… Just…take me home," she pleaded.

"You just got assaulted," I said, giving her an incredulous look. "You need to go to the police."

Rose started crying. "No. I want to go home."

"Just take her home, Dimka," Viktoria said. "Tell her parents what happened. They will take her to the police."

"Fine," I muttered. "Do you know where she lives?"

My sister nodded and gave me directions. When we arrived, Rose stumbled out of the car. I hurried out of the car to help her up and saw her throwing up on the grass. Viktoria got out, too, and scrunched up her nose.

"Go see if someone's home," I told her. "I'll stay with Rose."

She nodded and walked to the front door. I crouched down next to Rose and helped her sit up.

"You feeling better?" I asked, rubbing her back.

She nodded, wiping her mouth, and started crying again. "It's…all my fault. I… I…"

"Shh, don't cry," I said softly. "It's going to be okay."

"No one's here!" Viktoria exclaimed, running back to us.

Rose looked up and shook her head. "My parents aren't at home. They're away for the weekend."

_Shit!_ "Do you know someone we could call?" I asked her.

"No," she sniffed, burying her face in her hands.

I got up and looked at Viktoria.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked, biting her lip.

"I'm going to call Ivan and ask him to pick you up here and bring you home. Mama called me a few times when you didn't come home before curfew. She's really worried."

She nodded, but then frowned. "What are you going to do, then?"

"I'm going to stay with Rose until…until she's calmed down." I looked down at Rose, who was still sitting on the curb. "Maybe then she'll want to go to the police."

Viktoria nodded. "Okay."

I called Ivan. He was cranky that I called him in the middle of the night, but when I explained what happened he said he would come over right away.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Ivan said, practically jumping out of his car when he arrived. "Vika, are you okay? You didn't get hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said, giving him a small smile.

Ivan looked at Rose. "That's the girl?"

I nodded. "Please take Vika home now."

"Okay. Let's go, Vika," Ivan said, taking her by the arm and leading her to his car. She glanced over her shoulder at Rose, a worried look on her face. A few moments later, they were gone.

"Can you stand?" I asked Rose.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

"I'll help you," I said gently. She nodded and I put my arms around her, lifting her from the ground. She leaned into me. "You still feeling dizzy?"

She nodded. "A little."

I sighed. "Rose, I'm sorry, but I really think you should go to the hospital. You might've been drugged." Actually, I was pretty sure she'd been drugged. She'd barely been able to move or speak when I found her. "You need to get checked out by a doctor."

"Okay," she whispered, tears glistening on her cheeks. "Will you come with me? I don't want to go alone."

"Of course," I said, relieved that she'd finally agreed to go to the hospital with me. "We can call the cops afterwards."

"No," she said, her voice hoarse. "No cops. I don't want… I don't want anyone to know what happened. Please don't tell the police." She was crying again. "Please…"

"Fine," I said quickly. "I won't call the cops unless you ask me to."

"Promise me," she cried, clutching at my shirt.

"I promise."

She was still crying softly. I felt bad for her, but there wasn't anything I could do for her right now.

"It's going to be okay, Rose," I said in a soothing voice, hoping it would make her stop crying. I never knew what to do or say when a girl was crying. "It's going to be fine. We're going to the hospital."

"You'll stay with me, right? You said you'd stay," she whispered, wiping at her eyes.

"Yes," I said, giving her a small smile. "I promise."

She nodded and smiled at me gratefully. "Thank you."

I lifted her and carried her back to my car, putting her gently into the passenger's seat. And then we were off to the hospital.

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><p><strong>I tried to make it not too explicit because I realize this subject could be upsetting, that's why I put the warning in the beginning of the chapter. So...do you like it? Would you like me to continue this story? Please let me know :) <strong>

**Have a nice weekend! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you very much for all the reviews, favorites and follows! Seriously, you guys, what an amazing response to the first chapter! Thank you! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

**DPOV**

I stayed in the waiting room, pacing the floor, until they came back with Rose. I waited with her on the results of the tests they'd done. Rose was huddled in the corner of the waiting room, staring out in front of her. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't react.

Hours later, the doctors came back with the results. They asked to speak to me in privately. They told me she hadn't been raped, but that they'd found a drug called GHB in her system. Apparently, Rose had also been drinking, which I'd already figured.

"She's lucky you walked into that room at the right moment," the doctor said, glancing at Rose. "Is she sure she doesn't want to file a police report?"

"I'm afraid not. I tried talking to her, but she gets hysterical when I mention the police. She doesn't want anyone to know."

"We're obligated to keep the test results for six months. So if she changes her mind about reporting to the police..."

"I don't think she will," I said, glancing at Rose.

"Well, there's not much we can do, then," he said sighing. "It would be good for her if she talked to a counselor, though."

"I'll tell her," I said.

The doctor gave me a small smile and shook my hand. "Well, good luck and get home safely."

"Thank you, doctor."

I walked back to Rose and sat down next to her. "Hey," I said softly. She didn't react. Clearing my throat, I continued, "So…the test results came in."

Finally, she looked up. "And?" she whispered.

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "You'll be fine. He didn't…"

She looked away and nodded. "I figured. I was still wearing my clothes after all." Wiping at her eyes, she looked back up at me and gave me a watery smile. "It's only thanks to you that I'm… That I haven't been…"

A sob erupted from her throat and I quickly put my arms around her.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," I murmured as she cried into my chest. "You're going to be fine."

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, pulling away from me. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine. You've been through a lot," I responded. It was quiet for a while. "You…you could still report him, you know," I said after a few moments. "He drugged you and assaulted you, he tried to rape you… He deserves to be punished."

"I don't want to tell the police," she said. "I don't even know the guy. I've never seen him before." She shook her head and sighed. "I just know his name. Nathan. If that's even his real name."

"But you know what he looks like. And I've seen him too." I'd only seen him briefly, but I guess I could remember him well enough to describe him. "They might not have found much evidence on your clothes, but the police can do a lot with a name and a description."

"No," she said, her voice sharp. "No police. You promised."

"Okay," I said quickly. I realized she wasn't going to change her mind about it. I didn't understand why she didn't want to report him, but it wasn't up to me. I couldn't force her to tell them. "We won't go to the police, then."

"Can you drive me home?" she asked quietly.

"Of course."

It was already morning when we arrived at her house. The drive home had been quiet. Rose had just stared out in front of her, like in the waiting room. I think she was still in shock.

I walked with her to her door. "Are you going to be okay?"

She looked up at me and nodded. "Yes. Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," I murmured.

I wasn't sure if leaving her all by herself was a good idea, but I was pretty sure she didn't want a stranger to come into her house and stay with her – especially after what happened last night to her.

"Alright then," I said, clearing my throat. "I should probably go now."

She nodded again and I turned away, walking back to my car.

"Wait!" she called out. I stopped and turned back around. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Dimitri," I answered.

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you, Dimitri," she said softly before slipping inside her house.

I stared at the closed door for a few moments. Shaking my head, I turned around and went home. Then I remembered I should probably go to Mama first. Viktoria was probably worried about Rose and I figured I should go over there and tell her Rose would be fine. At least, I hoped so. She might not have been raped, but last night's events must've been traumatic for her.

"Dimka!" Viktoria exclaimed when I walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later. "Where is Rose? Is she okay?"

Taking a deep breath, I told her about what happened after Ivan had taken her home. Mama was in the kitchen, too. Apparently, Vika had told her about Rose.

"Oh my God," Vika breathed. "Rose got really lucky, then."

"Yes," I agreed.

"Did you go to the police with her?" Mama asked me, a concerned look on her face.

"She doesn't want to," I said sighing. "I tried to convince her, but every time I brought it up she started crying and went hysterical. She doesn't want anyone to know. I think she's ashamed of what happened."

"Poor thing," Mama murmured sympathetically. "And you left her all alone in her house?"

"What was I supposed to do?" I said. "She doesn't even know me. She might've been scared of me, too."

"You saved her," Vika said. "Why would she be scared of you?"

"Because I'm a stranger to her," I said. "She doesn't know me."

It was quiet for a few moments.

I sighed. "Vika, you said she goes to your school, right?" She nodded. "Will you keep an eye on her, then? And maybe try to talk to her? Ask her how she is doing."

"I'll try," she said hesitantly. "But I don't know if I can. She always hangs out with the popular kids and I… Well, I don't belong in that world. So I'm not sure if I can get her alone…"

"Just try, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay. I will."

"And please don't tell _anyone_ about what happened."

"I won't. I promise," Vika said. "But…don't you think someone saw?"

I scoffed. "I don't think so. Everyone was busy getting drunk."

Mama turned to look at Viktoria. "You aren't going out again," she said firmly. "No more parties."

Vika looked outraged. "Mama!"

"What happened to that Rose girl could have easily happened to you, too!" Mama said. "I mean it, Viktoria. No more parties until that man is caught! I don't want you to go out when it's not safe."

Viktoria scowled. "Ugh, Mama! That's just stupid. That guy has probably left by now and if he's smart, he won't be coming back. He probably doesn't even live in the neighborhood."

"That doesn't matter!" Mama said firmly. "No more parties. End of discussion."

"That's so unfair!"

And with that, she stomped out of the kitchen.

"I agree with you, Mama," I said. "It's better if she stays away from those parties until…it's safe."

She sighed. "Yes. But will it ever be safe? This man wo attacked Rose might be gone, but there are probably tons of other men who have the same intentions…"

"I know," I muttered. Sighing, I glanced at my watch. I was exhausted after being up all night, but, unfortunately, I had work to do and couldn't crawl into my bed yet. "I'm late for work. I should go."

She nodded. "Alright. Have a nice day, Dimka."

I hugged her goodbye and then left for work, my mind still on Rose.

**RPOV**

After Dimitri had dropped me off, I spent the rest of the day in my bed. I was afraid to go to sleep, but after a few hours, I couldn't fight it off anymore. I woke a few hours later, screaming, thinking Nathan was here again, touching me. But it had only been a dream.

_It wasn't just a dream_, I told myself, tears stinging my eyes. _It actually happened._

And whenever I closed my eyes, I was reliving it. The doctor had told me I could experience some memory loss, but so far I could remember everything. Some things were vague, but I remembered how I'd been feeling dizzy and lightheaded. How Nathan had dragged me up to that bedroom and pushed me down on the bed, how I'd tried to fight him off but I hadn't been able to move a muscle… How darkness had started to come over me.

But I'd forced myself to open my eyes and then I'd felt how Dimitri had pulled Nathan off of me. I realized how lucky I'd been. I didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Dimitri hadn't shown up.

That evening, I got a call from Lissa.

"Why did you bail on me last night?" she screeched into the phone. "You just disappeared!"

_Wow, I'm not even getting a hello…_

"I'm sorry, Liss," I said, my voice a little hoarse. Clearing my throat, I continued, "I…was tired and couldn't find you so I just went home."

"So you just left? What about me? I was all alone," she complained.

I doubted she'd been alone. "I thought Christian was with you," I said. "He was there, too, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, but I came with you. And then you just _left_."

Right. If only she knew…

"I told you, I couldn't find you," I lied. "I'm sorry."

She huffed.

"I don't really see what the problem is," I said, angry and hurt. "You knew I didn't want to go to that stupid party, but I came along anyway. For _you_. But you went dancing and that is fine – honestly, I don't mind. And hey, you didn't try to find me either. If you were truly all alone, like you're saying, you would have tried to find me. You could've texted or called. But you didn't."

"But Rose-"

"And if it really bothered you, then you wouldn't have waited this long to call me," I cut her off. "I don't feel like talking right now so I'll just see you Monday at school, okay?"

Before she could utter another word, I disconnected. Lissa was my best friend and I loved her, but sometimes she could be really selfish.

I didn't hear from her for the rest of the weekend, but when I arrived at school Monday morning, she came running towards me and flung her arms around me.

"Oh my God, Rose," she said. "I'm so sorry! I totally forgot… God, I'm so stupid."

I frowned. "Forgot what?"

"That last Friday night…" She looked uncomfortable. "Mason has been dead for a year now," she finished in whisper. "Of course you didn't want to go to that party. Because of him. I'm so sorry, Rose."

I glanced away. "It's fine," I murmured. "Don't worry about it."

I wasn't going to tell her that Mason wasn't the reason I didn't want to go to the party. I just hadn't felt like going to the party. But if I had to be completely honest, Mason might have been a part of the reason. We'd met in high school and he'd been my best friend ever since. That is, until he died. And even though people told me it hadn't been my fault, I still felt like it was. I felt like I could've prevented it from happening.

We'd gone to a party together and we'd gotten pretty drunk that night. We'd danced and everything had been fine. Right up until the moment he kissed me. I'd pushed him away, shocked, and we'd gotten into a fight. Mason had driven off, furious and drunk.

And he'd crashed into another car. He died before the paramedics arrived. Later, Eddie told me that Mason had always had feelings for me but that he was too scared to tell me.

And ever since that night, I'd blamed myself. If I hadn't gotten mad, if I had stopped him from driving away drunk…he would still be alive. After that night, I'd also vowed to never drink again. But, obviously, I'd failed at that. And look where it got me... Karma is a bitch.

"Rose, are you okay?" Lissa asked, looking worried.

"Um, yeah," I said, looking up at her. I forced a smile. "I'm fine. Let's go to class."

We walked together into the building in silence. When we went to our lockers after first period, Adrian, another friend of ours, joined us.

"Hey Rose! What's up?" he said, slinging his arm around my shoulder. I flinched a little and he frowned. "What's wrong? Why are you looking like that? Did someone die or what?"

Lissa shot him a glare. "Adrian!"

Realization dawned on his face. "Oh." He removed his arm from my shoulders and looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Rose. I guess I forgot…"

"It's fine. _I'm_ fine," I said curtly, moving away from him. "Don't worry."

I noticed Eddie standing at his locker. He looked sad. He'd been sad for a year now.

"I'll see you after class," I muttered to Lissa and Adrian.

I walked over to Eddie and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey," I said, offering him a smile. Eddie had been Mason's best friend since childhood. He'd taken Mason's death pretty hard and I knew he felt guilty too. He'd also been at that party, he'd seen Mason and me fight and he'd let Mason drive away. I didn't blame him, though. "How are you holding up?"

Eddie looked up and gave me a small smile. "I'm holding up okay, I guess. You?"

"Same," I said with a shrug.

Eddie and I had never really been friends. That changed, though, when Mason died. Lissa and the rest of the gang had never been friends with Mason so it was not like I could talk to them about it. So I'd turned to Eddie, knowing that he was having a hard time as well. It probably was even harder for him because Mason had been his only true friend.

I'd invited him a couple of times to hang out with me and my friends, but he said he didn't feel comfortable hanging out with my group of friends. They were too different from him, he'd said.

Eddie and I walked in a comfortable silence to class. Suddenly, Eddie stopped walking to wave at someone. I looked up and turned around to see who he was waving at. My eyes widened in shock when I saw it was Viktoria Belikova. When her gaze turned to me, I quickly looked away, uncomfortable.

"You're friends with Viktoria?" I asked as we rounded a corner.

Eddie shrugged. "Yeah. We hang out sometimes."

"Oh."

I hoped she wouldn't tell Eddie what had happened last Friday night. He would be so angry if he found out. Ever since Mason had died, he'd become very protective of me. If he heard that I'd been assaulted, he would go mad. And then he'd blame himself for not being there to protect me that night. I couldn't do that to him. He was better off not knowing.

The rest of the day, I focused extra hard on my classes so I wouldn't have to think about what had happened on Friday night. It was all still fresh in my memory and sometimes I wished I couldn't remember any of it.

"Hey."

Startled, I looked up and was surprised to see Viktoria walking next to me. Classes were over and the hallways were crowded with students. She glanced around to see if anyone was in earshot before asking, "I was wondering if we could talk for a bit?"

I already knew what this was about and I'd figured this would happen, but that didn't mean I was looking forward to it. "Umm, sure. Let's go somewhere private."

We walked around the halls until we found an empty bathroom. I followed Viktoria inside and closed the door behind me. It was quiet for several minutes as we looked at each other.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this with me," Viktoria started hesitantly, "but I just want to make sure you're okay." More silence. "So are you…okay?"

"Yes," I replied at last, my voice barely a whisper. Clearing my throat, I added in a louder voice, "But I wouldn't be if your brother hadn't been there. And you too, I guess. You also helped me. So thank you for that."

Viktoria nodded. "Yeah, my brother's worried about you. He asked me to check on you, you know. He would've done it himself, but he thought that might be a bad idea since you don't really know him."

I gave her a small smile. "I appreciate that, but I'm fine." _I think,_ I added silently. _I hope._ "But please thank him for me." I cleared my throat again, feeling uncomfortable again. "Will you…will you tell anyone?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh no. Of course not." She smiled at me reassuringly. "Don't worry about that. I won't tell anyone and my brother won't either."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she answered. Glancing around the bathroom, she said, "I should probably go. You probably want to get home, too." She started for the door. Before opening it, she looked at me. "If you ever want to talk, you can always come to me."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," I said.

She smiled and then walked out. I stayed behind for a minute, taking a few deep breaths to calm down, and then left the bathroom.

The school grounds were deserted by now and it was eerily quiet. I felt a little uneasy and quickened my pace. I'd just walked through the gate when I heard a voice call my name. It came from across the street. I looked up and saw Jesse and Ralf leaning against a wall. There was another guy with them, but I couldn't see his face; his hoodie was covering it.

"Hey Rose!" Jesse called again. They started walking over to us and the strange guy followed after them. "How come you're still here? You want to hang with us for a while?"

Jesse and Ralf were in my year and they were both idiots. I didn't like them and tried to stay away from them as much as possible, seeing as they liked to gossip like fishwives. If anyone would be spreading rumors around school, it would be them.

"No thanks, I have to go home," I said politely.

Jesse laughed. "What? Do you have a curfew now?"

"Come meet our friend," Ralf said.

I glanced at the stranger again. He stood behind his two buddies, but when he saw me looking at him, he stepped forward and pulled his hoodie down so I could see his face clearly. I gasped and stepped back immediately, almost stumbling over my own feet.

It was Nathan.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry I made Lissa a little bitchy in this story, but I just don't like her :P I know Rose is supposed to be strong and a total badass, but she's just been assaulted so it's normal she's a little fragile right now. But don't worry, she'll be back to her strong self! ;)<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll try to update again as soon as possible. Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you very much for the reviews, favorites and follows! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

**RPOV**

"Look how scared she is," Ralf taunted, grinning.

"Hey Rose. Long time no see." Nathan grinned at me. "How are you doing?"

I stared at him, shocked. How dare he show his face after what happened on Friday night? I thought he would have fled after Viktoria's brother had gotten me out of that house. Any sane man would have left and never come back if he didn't want to get caught, but this guy was standing here as if he'd never tried to rape me.

"What…what are you doing here?" I stammered.

"Just here to have a friendly chat," Nathan said, taking a step closer. "You can go now," he said, looking at Jesse. "I'll see you later."

They walked away and left me alone with Nathan. He looked at me and flashed me another grin as he took another step closer. I backed up against the wall, looking around for someone to help me, but I was all alone with Nathan.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he said. "I just came to make sure you're not going to report me to the police."

"Who said I haven't done so already?" I said defiantly, tilting my chin up.

"Oh, I would have definitely heard about that if you'd reported me," he said with a smirk. "You know Jesse, right?" He didn't wait for my answer. He already knew. "And do you know what his father's job is?"

"He…he's the chief of police," I said slowly.

"And do you know who I am?" he said, grinning again. When I didn't reply, he answered for me. "I am Jesse's brother."

My eyes widened in shock. "You… you're Jesse's _brother_?"

"Yup. Too bad, huh?" he said, amusement in his eyes. "It means his father is my father, too. So if I were you, I'd think twice before going to the police. You're not going to get any help there if you're going to accuse the chief's son. Besides," he added with a shrug, "nothing happened."

"Only because you got caught," I said, clenching my teeth.

"That won't happen again. I can promise you that," Nathan said. Glancing down the street, he sighed. "Anyway, now that we've cleared up some things I'll be going now. Have a nice day, Rose. I'll see you soon."

"You stay the hell away from me!" I screamed, my voice wavering a little bit. "I don't want to ever see you near me again!"

Nathan just walked away, laughing. I stood there, shaking and nearly crying. I don't think I'd ever been this scared before in my life – except for last Friday night. That night had truly been a nightmare.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I hurried home before Nathan changed his mind and decided to come after me. _Please don't come after me, please don't come after me…_ I was so relieved when I finally got home.

Locking the front door behind me, I ran up the stairs and locked myself into my bedroom. I stayed there, huddled in a corner, until I suddenly heard the front door slam shut. I unlocked my door and walked downstairs to see my parents standing in the hallway with their suitcases.

"Hey kiddo!" Dad greeted me as he stepped forward to hug me. "Had a good weekend?"

"Um, fine," I said, clearing my throat. "How was the trip?"

They'd gone to Paris for a few days. They barely had any free time – Dad was a surgeon and Mom a paramedic – so when they had some time off they liked to go somewhere – preferably abroad. Both of them worked at the same hospital, but even there, they didn't get to see much of each other so they always made sure they had the same days off.

I used to go with them when I was younger, but now I was old enough to stay home alone. Right now, I kind of wished they'd taken me with them this time. Then I wouldn't have to deal with this misery I'd put myself in.

"Good, good," Dad said smiling. "What have you been up to this weekend?"

"Nothing much," I lied, averting my eyes. "Just watched some TV, did some homework…"

"You stayed in all weekend?" Dad said, surprised. "I'm impressed."

I punched his arm lightly, grinning. "I'm a good kid, Dad. Didn't you know that yet?" How much I wish that were true right now.

Mom cleared her throat. "Alright, if you two are done, we can go grab some dinner. I'm starving. Do you want to join us, Rose?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, already making my way to the stairs. "I'll go get ready."

I'd rather not leave the house, but I figured I would be safe enough with my parents around. During dinner, they told me all about their weekend in Paris. I only listened halfheartedly, thinking back to this afternoon. I couldn't believe Nathan was Jesse's older brother. I wondered if Jesse knew what kind of a brother he had. He must know something, if not everything.

When we got back home, the three of us watched a movie together. It had been a long time since we'd spent some quality time together as a family and I had to admit that it was nice.

The movie was about a girl who married a man who seemed to have it all. He was good-looking, wealthy, kind, smart, etc. Everything was perfect at first, but a few years after their child was born, he started abusing his wife. The woman fled with her kid, but the man found her every time. In order to protect herself and her child, she decided to take self-defense classes so she could stop her husband next time he came around.

And, suddenly, I knew what I had to do in order to protect myself.

"I'm going to bed," I announced, midway during the movie. My parents looked up at me, surprised. "I'm tired," I lied. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, kiddo," Dad called after me as I left the living room.

I rushed back to my room and started my laptop, searching for a place in the neighborhood where I could take self-defense classes. I wanted to be able to defend myself if Nathan decided to try something again. He'd said he'd see me soon again and I was pretty sure he would hold on to his promise. But next time, I wasn't going to just stand there and let him threaten me.

After scribbling down the address, I put it in my jeans pocket. Tomorrow I'd drop by at this place after school. The sooner I started with this self-defense class, the better.

So the next day, after school had ended, I found myself at the gymnasium where these self-defense classes took place. I'd never been here before, but I remember walking past the gym a few times.

Opening the door, I walked across the lobby to the front desk. A woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes stood behind it. She reminded me a lot of Christian. He had the same black hair and blue eyes. Could they be related? Or was this just a freak coincidence? She looked up when I approached and smiled.

"Can I help you, Miss?" she asked politely.

"Um, yes," I said, clearing my throat. "I'd like to take the self-defense class."

"Oh," she said, a small frown forming on her face. "I'm sorry, but that class started last month. And if I remember correctly, it was already full." She turned around and grabbed a folder from one of the shelves behind her. "Yes, it's full."

"Oh. Damn," I muttered. "Could I maybe get private lessons?"

"Normally we don't do that, but… If you wait here a sec, I'll go get my boss. I'm sure he can arrange something," she said when she saw the disappointed look on my face. "Maybe you can still join the group."

I smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you."

She walked around the front desk and knocked on a door across the lobby. I assumed that was her boss's office. When she walked inside and closed the door behind her, I turned around and looked around the gym. It was pretty big and apparently it was popular since almost every device was occupied. There were another couple of doors that must lead to the changing rooms and restroom.

Just then, I heard a door open and the woman appeared again. "He'll be right there," she said, giving me a small smile before returning to her task.

Someone cleared their throat behind me. "Hi, you wanted to…"

Turning around, my eyes widened in surprise when I looked up and saw the guy standing across from me. It was Dimitri, the guy who'd saved me last Friday night. This was just my luck.

"Rose," he said, looking just as surprised.

My cheeks burned red. "Oh God… I should go. I'm sorry."

Before he had the chance to say another word, I dashed to the exit door.

"Hey Rose!"

_Shit_. He was coming after me.

"Wait!"

I realized I wasn't going to be able to outrun him so I stopped and turned back around. He caught up with me and I felt him looking at me as I stared at the ground, not daring to look up at him.

"Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"

I sighed and looked up at last. "I'm okay. I just… Well, it's not important. I shouldn't have come."

I was about to turn away again, but he stopped me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Tasha told me you want to take the self-defense class," he said.

I frowned, wondering who the hell Tasha was, but then I recalled the woman at the front desk. She must be Tasha.

I looked at him, embarrassed. "Um, yeah…"

He gave me a small smile. "Why don't you come back inside so we can talk about it?"

I hesitated but then nodded. "Okay."

I followed him back inside. Tasha was looking all confused when we walked back in, but didn't say anything. She was probably wondering if I was some crazy person.

Dimitri opened the door to his office and I walked inside. He motioned for me to sit down so I gingerly sat down in one of the chairs. Dimitri walked over to the desk and sat down across from me.

"So you own this gym?" I asked, tugging at the sleeves of my shirt, feeling a little nervous.

He nodded.

"Cool," I said, clearing my throat. I groaned internally. _Cool?_ What the hell was wrong with me?

"Why'd you run away?" Dimitri asked. "When you saw me…why did you run off?"

"Because I'm embarrassed," I admitted reluctantly, looking everywhere except him.

"You don't have to feel that way," he said. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

I didn't agree, but didn't say so. "Did, um, Viktoria give you my message? I told her to-"

"Yes, she told me," he said, "but you don't have to thank me, Rose."

"I do," I said, finally looking him in the eyes. I had to admit, Dimitri looked really handsome with his dark eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. It was pulled back into a ponytail, but I remembered it being loose the night he saved me. Either way, he was gorgeous. "What you did for me… I can't thank you enough."

He smirked a little. "You have a weird way of saying thank you, seeing as you couldn't get away fast enough at the sight of me."

I blushed again. "Like I said, I was embarrassed. And a little shocked to see you here."

He nodded. "So you want to take a self-defense class?" he asked, changing the subject.

I nodded. "Yeah, I want to learn how to protect myself after what happened and in case-"

I cut myself off abruptly, not wanting him to know what had happened on Monday.

"In case what?" Dimitri asked as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," I muttered quickly.

"In case _what_, Rose?" he repeated, his voice sharp.

"I don't know," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "In case it happens…again."

He frowned. "Do you think it's going to happen again?"

I bit my lip as tears filled my eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of Dimitri; I didn't want him to think I was weak. But he probably already thought that. A strong girl wouldn't have let happen what I had let happen to me.

"Rose?" he questioned.

I looked up at him and burst out into tears. Dimitri immediately walked over to me, sitting down in the chair next to me. I covered my face with my hands, sobbing.

"Rose," Dimitri said gently. He touched my arm and I shook my head, turning away from him. "It's okay. You can talk to me. I'm here to help."

"You can't," I cried.

"Maybe I can. Just tell me what's wrong," he said softly.

I pulled my hands from my face and looked up at him. "Promise you won't tell anyone."

"I won't," he vowed. "You can trust me. I promise."

I wiped at my eyes, still sniffling. "He's still here… The guy who…"

"The guy who assaulted you?" Dimitri finished my sentence.

I nodded, repressing a sob. "Yes," I whispered. "He was at my school yesterday."

"Why was he there?"

"He wanted to make sure I hadn't told the cops," I answered. "He said…he said he'd see me soon." I looked at Dimitri. "It means he's not going to leave me alone, right? He'll come back for me. So that's why I'm here. I want to be able to defend myself in case…in case he does come back and tries to hurt me."

Dimitri sighed. "Rose, you should really go to the police. Tell them what happened."

"I can't do that," I whispered, shaking my head.

"Why not?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm ashamed of what happened," I admitted, "and…there's nothing they can do anyway. Nothing really happened. You stopped him just in time."

"He still assaulted you, Rose. He put his hands on you when you didn't want him to," Dimitri said, his voice firm. He looked angry. "He almost raped you. He deserves to be punished."

"I know. But I really can't tell the cops," I said quietly. "I just can't. You don't understand."

"You're right. I don't," he said brusquely as he got up. "Why are you protecting him?"

"I'm not protecting him," I cried, wishing I could tell him the whole truth and not just a part of it. I barely knew Dimitri, but I knew that if he found out Nathan was the chief's son, he would want to go to the police anyway and I couldn't let him do that. "I'm protecting myself. Just trust me on this, okay? The police can't know."

He crossed his arms and looked at me, his eyes hard.

I shook my head and muttered, "I should never have said anything. I shouldn't even be here."

I got up and started for the door. Before I could open it, Dimitri moved in front of me.

"Rose, wait," he said, his features softening. "I'm sorry." Taking a deep breath, he continued "If you say you can't tell the police, then fine. It's your call and I won't argue about it anymore."

"Thank you," I murmured, relieved. Hesitating, I said, "Look, it's not just because I'm ashamed of myself and because I don't want anyone to know. I _still_ don't want anyone to know, but there are other reasons too why I can't go to the police."

"And you can't tell me those other reasons, right?" Dimitri said, smiling wryly.

"I can't," I said regrettably. "Sorry."

He nodded. "Okay. Like I said, it's your decision." I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off. "And I don't want you to feel ashamed. You didn't do anything wrong. _He_ did."

"I was stupid enough to get drunk and let him drug me," I argued. "It's my fault."

"No, it's not your fault," Dimitri said firmly. "None of what happened is your fault."

"But-"

"Rose, no. I don't want to ever hear you say that again."

_Why do you care so much?_ I almost asked, but stopped myself just in time. If this had happened to someone else, he would've reacted the same; he was just a genuine good guy. This had nothing to do with me personally.

I sighed in defeat. "So… Can I take the self-defense class? I'd actually like to have private lessons. Can I talk about that to the instructor?"

Dimitri's stern look disappeared immediately and a hint of a smile took its place. "I am the instructor."

I stared at him, perplexed.

"Figures," I muttered. He certainly had the build for it. He was tall – like, _really_ tall – and muscular. "Okay, so do you give private lessons?"

"Why do you want private lessons?" he asked.

"Because I don't want anyone to find out about this," I said. "No one can know I'm taking a self-defense class. They'll question why if they find out." He looked at me, doubtful. "Besides, I'm not even sure if I can make it to the class. So please… can you give me private lessons?" He still looked hesitant so I added, "I'll pay you double."

"That's not necessary," he said quickly. "I'll do it. I'll give you private lessons."

I smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," he said with a shrug. "So…when would you like to start?"

I gave him a determined look. "Tomorrow."

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><p><strong>So, Dimitri will give Rose private lessons, but will she learn enough by the time Nathan shows up again? Or do you think it was just an idle threat? ;)<strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Have a nice weekend! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

**RPOV**

"Ugh! What am I doing wrong?" I exclaimed, frustrated.

"Nothing," Dimitri said simply.

"Then why can't I freaking hit you?"

I'd been taking self-defense lessons with Dimitri for over a week now. After school, I would go over to the gym immediately and then we'd practice for about an hour. The first couple of lessons he'd thought me the basic self-defense moves and how to fight back effectively if someone attacked me.

Of course, it was all theory at first – which was boring because I already knew which were the most effective body parts to hit. I just didn't know yet how to do it without getting beaten up myself in the process. But Dimitri said it was necessary for me to know so I listened carefully. I got more excited when we started practicing the moves he'd showed me. After I'd mastered the moves, he let me practice on him. But the more we practiced, the more frustrated I got. No matter what I tried, I never managed to get a hit on him.

"You aren't doing anything wrong, Rose," Dimitri said, walking over to me where I was leaning against the wall, my arms crossed. "You just started. I've been doing it for years. Trust me, you will learn. You just need to practice more. And you need to focus."

"I am focused," I replied, still sulking. "It's just not fair. You're so tall and I'm… I'm a dwarf compared to you. It's not a fair fight!"

Dimitri laughed and it lifted my heart a little. When we'd started with our lessons, Dimitri never smiled or laughed; he was always so serious during practice, he was like a whole different person. I was always happy when I was able to make him crack a smile.

"I'm glad you find this so amusing, comrade," I said, glaring at him playfully.

He glared back at me when he heard the nickname. I made it up a few days ago and he'd disliked it from the start. I actually though it fit him, with him being from Russia.

"Actually, my height could work in your advantage," Dimitri said, ignoring my comment. "It's easier to punch up than to punch down. And it's harder for a tall person to protect their legs. You could kick them easily. And if you're fighting a tall person in close quarters, they'll be restricted because of their height. "

"Huh," I said. "That makes sense."

Dimitri smiled. "See. Being tall has its disadvantages too."

"So are you going to teach me how to kick someone in the nuts next time?" I asked eagerly.

"I'm pretty sure you already know how to do that," Dimitri said, still smiling.

I shrugged, trying to hide a grin. "Maybe."

Silence fell and then, slowly, his smile disappeared and he asked, "So do you still have…nightmares?"

"Sometimes," I admitted.

Ever since I'd been assaulted, I had nightmares of what happened to me that night, of what might happen to me next time Nathan visited me. But no matter what I dreamed, Nathan was always in it, laughing wickedly, telling me there was no place to hide from him.

I shivered involuntarily. Thinking about the nightmares gave me goose bumps. Sighing, I sat down and leaned back against the wall.

"It's really hard sometimes. I have to lie to my friends and family and pretend like nothing's wrong. But I barely sleep, I barely dare to leave the house and when I do, I'm paranoid that Nathan might be following me."

Dimitri sat down next to me and looked at me sympathetically. "I know it's hard. And I'm really sorry you have to go through this."

I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "You're the only one I can talk to about this. Well, you and Viktoria…"

I'd been hanging out with her at school a couple of times this past week, much to Lissa's outrage. She couldn't understand why I'd want to be friends with another girl while I had her to hang out with. I didn't get why she was so upset about it. I mean, she had Christian after all and she was constantly hanging around him. It was not like I was leaving her on her own.

"I'm always here for you if you need me," Dimitri said softly. He reached for my hand and squeezed it gently. "You can count on me."

"Thank you," I murmured. "I really appreciate all you've done for me. I owe you."

"Don't worry about it," he answered. "Just promise me you'll call me immediately if Nathan shows up again."

"I will," I promised.

It was quiet for a moment and then Dimitri asked quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

I looked at him and nodded.

"Why'd you drink so much that night?"

His question caught me off guard. "Who says I don't always drink that much?" I retorted at last. "And how do you know how much I'd been drinking?"

"I don't know. You don't seem like the type," he said with a shrug. "When I talked to the doctor, he told me you had drunk a lot of alcohol… Why?"

"I actually am the type to drink much. Well, I _was_," I admitted. Clearing my throat, I said, "I used to drink a lot at parties. All my friends did. But, um, last year…something happened."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Dimitri said gently when he saw the hesitation in my eyes.

"No, I want to," I said quickly. "I trust you."

It may be strange because I'd only known Dimitri less than two weeks, but I did trust him. I trusted him with my life. And he'd promised he would always be there for me. I knew I could tell him.

Taking a deep breath, I started, "Last year, my best friend Mason and I went to this party and we got pretty drunk. One moment, we were dancing and the next…" I swallowed heavily. "He kissed me. Apparently, he had feelings for me for a long time. I hadn't known. Anyway, I didn't feel the same way about him so I pushed him away and we started arguing. In the end, he ran off and jumped into his car. I tried to stop him, but he just drove off." Tears stung in my eyes as I thought back to the memory. "And the next morning, I got a call from Eddie that Mason died in a car accident."

"Oh Rose, I'm sorry," Dimitri said quietly, looking at me with sympathy.

"I feel like it's my fault it happened, you know," I said, trying not to cry. "He was so drunk when he got inside that car." My voice wavered and I furiously wiped at my eyes, willing myself not to cry. "I should have never let him leave."

"Rose, you can't blame yourself for what happened to your friend," Dimitri said, his voice firm but gentle at the same time. "It's not your fault. You tried to stop him-"

"I didn't try hard enough because I was mad at him," I cried. "If I'd loved him back, he would still be here."

Dimitri sighed and, much to my surprise, pulled me into a hug. I buried my face in his chest and cried as he wrapped his arms around me tightly, murmuring soothing words into my ear.

"I swore I would never drink again after that night. But then last week… Mason's been dead for a year now and I… I just wanted to forget for a while." Taking a deep breath, I pulled away slightly and looked at him. "I should've never gotten drunk. I even let Nathan get me my drink! How stupid could I be?" I shook my head in disbelief. I really had been stupid. "It's all my fault it happened."

"Rose, you have to stop blaming yourself," Dimitri said. "Fine, it wasn't smart to let him fetch you your drink, but even if you'd gone yourself, he would've found other ways to…" He fell silent and looked away.

"He would've find other ways to get me to that bedroom," I finished for him, my face darkening.

Dimitri sighed. "Please don't beat yourself up about it. He wasn't able to get what he wanted and he never will," he said firmly.

"Yeah, because if he ever tries something again, I'll be able to kick his ass," I said, trying to lighten the mood in the room.

Dimitri smiled warmly. "Yes. And I'll be there, too, to kick his ass if you want me to," he added jokingly.

I smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that one, comrade."

Dimitri chuckled. He got up and held out his hand for me. I took it and he helped me up. He walked me back to the women's locker room and then said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rose."

"See ya," I said, giving him a smile. "And thanks…for everything."

He smiled back. "No problem."

I watched him walk away and then walked into the changing room. When I walked back out twenty minutes later, I saw Dimitri talking to Tasha in the lobby. Tasha was smiling brightly at him and batting her eyelashes. I wondered if she had a crush on him. The way she always acted around him made me think she liked him more than a friend or a boss. Could Dimitri feel the same way about her?

When I walked past them, Dimitri looked up from his conversation with Tasha and smiled. _So many smiles I'm getting from him today, _I thought happily_._

"Bye Rose. Get home safe."

I smiled at him. "Will do."

Tasha watched me with a small frown on her face, glancing back to Dimitri before turning her gaze back on me. I offered her a smile before hurrying out of the door.

"Rose, where have you been?" Startled, I looked up as I let the door fall closed behind me. Dad stood in the hallway, frowning. "School let out hours ago."

"I, um… I was at Lissa's," I lied quickly.

If he knew I was taking a self-defense class, he'd want to know why and I couldn't tell him what had happened to me. He would freak out and, honestly, I was too ashamed to tell him and my mom. I didn't want them to ever find out.

"Oh okay," he said, his frown turning into a smile. "How's she doing? We haven't seen her in a while here."

"Um, she's fine," I said, avoiding his gaze. "She's been hanging out with Christian a lot lately."

"You mean Christian Ozera? The kid next door?" he asked as he followed me into the kitchen. "Are they an item?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

He stroked his goatee. "Hmm. I see," he said, his dark eyes staring into mine.

People said I looked a lot like him, which I supposed was true. I had the same dark hair. The only difference was that mine was long and wavy. I'd inherited his dark eyes too. He was tall, though, and I was short like my mom. It was about the only thing I'd inherited from her – that and my stubbornness.

"What?" I asked, a little uncomfortable.

"Now I know why you've been hanging around here so much these past few weeks. And from the look on your face, I can see you're not too happy that she's dating the Ozera boy. Because now she has to divide her attention and you can't spend all your time with her anymore."

"Wait, you think I'm jealous?" I said, outraged.

He smirked. "Only a little."

"I don't care if she's with Christian. I have other friends, too," I defended. "I don't need to hang out with her all the time."

He shrugged. "Alright then. Don't get so worked up, kid," he said in a teasing voice. Clearing his throat, he said, "Anyway, I have to leave for work." He walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. "See you tomorrow, Rose."

"Bye," I mumbled. Sighing, I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and made my way to my room to get some homework done.

**DPOV**

"So, what's going on with that girl?"

I'd been staring after Rose and hadn't heard what Tasha had said. "I'm sorry, what?" I said, turning my gaze back to her.

"That girl," Tasha said, pointing at Rose's retreating form. "What's up with her? She's been here every day since she came in here to sign up for the self-defense class. Only, she isn't going to the class."

"Yeah, I'm teaching her how to defend herself," I said distractedly. "I'm giving her private lessons."

"Why?" she asked. "I mean, I remember that she asked for private lessons, but I thought you were going to put her in the class anyway. Because normally you don't give private lessons."

"No, she wants private lessons so I'm giving her private lessons," I said.

"Do you know her?" Tasha asked curiously. "I mean, did you know her before she came in last week? It seemed like you two knew each other. I thought it was odd when she just ran off like that when she first saw you."

"Yeah, I already knew her before she came in," I answered, wondering why she was asking all these questions.

"Oh," was Tasha's response.

Before she could ask me how I knew Rose, I said, "I still have to do some paperwork. If you need me, you know where to find me."

I walked back to my office and closed the door behind me, relieved to be alone for a while. Tasha was a nice person, but she could really drive me crazy sometimes with all her questions.

As I sat behind my desk, I tried to do the paperwork I'd used as an excuse to get away from Tasha, but all I could think about was my earlier conversation with Rose. I felt really bad for her. She'd been through a lot this past year, with her friend's death and then getting drugged and assaulted. It worried me that the guy who tried to rape her was still in town. What worried me even more was that he contacted her and threatened her and that he might show up again.

I wished I could convince Rose to go to the police, but she was so stubborn. I'd never met anyone before as stubborn as she was. I wondered what had got her so scared that she was convinced she couldn't tell the police. I knew she felt ashamed of what had happened, even though I'd told her a hundred times she had no reason to feel that way, that the blame wasn't on her.

I hoped she would at least call me if Nathan ever tried to contact her again. I realized she was the kind of girl that liked to handle her problems all by herself – she was strong and I admired that – but sometimes it was better to confide in someone, like one of her friends.

But instead, she'd chosen me. Don't get me wrong, I was glad that she trusted me, but I thought it was a little strange that she didn't seem to want to tell her closest friends about what had happened to her. I thought they might be able to help her better than I could. Still, I'd help her as best as I could and I'd be there for her whenever she needed me.

Staring at my phone, I hesitated but then reached for it and sent a text to Rose._ Did you get home safely?_

I drummed my fingers against my desk as I waited impatiently for her reply. After five long, agonizing minutes I got a reply.

_Yes. Don't worry, comrade. If something happens, you're the first to know. ;)_

I sighed in relief. I didn't know why I was so worried about Rose. I mean, I'd had more women come here for a self-defense class after they'd been assaulted. Rose was definitely not the first, but why did I care so much when it came to her?

_It's probably because I saw it happen to her_, I thought._ And now I spend an hour a day with her, trying to help her out and be there for her._

She was no longer a stranger to me; she was a friend to me – sort of. It was normal that I cared about what happened to her. It was normal that I wanted her to be safe.

Right?

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><p><strong>I hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to update the next one by the end of the week. ;)<strong>

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

**RPOV**

As time passed, I was looking more and more forward to my self-defense lessons with Dimitri. At first, I did it because I felt like it was necessary to protect myself, but now I actually enjoyed it. And, honestly, I just looked forward to see Dimitri again.

Pretending everything was fine when I was with my friends was taking its toll on me. It was getting harder and harder to keep what happened on that party a secret and Lissa acting like a little brat wasn't helping matters either. We spent less and less time together. She spent so much time with Christian and when I hung out with them I felt like an outsider.

Over the past few weeks, I'd gotten to know Viktoria better so now I spent more time with her and Eddie. Lissa didn't understand why I'd rather hang out with them than sit with her and Christian. I'd already explained a few times why, but it was like she wasn't hearing me.

Adrian was confused by all of it; he was used to seeing Lissa and me together all the time. Since he was friends with the both of us, he didn't take sides. I'd kind of expected him to be on my side, because we'd known each other longer and we used to date – even if it had been for just a few weeks. Anyway, it didn't that matter much to me.

So, yes, spending time with Dimitri was much easier than spending time with my friends. Dimitri knew what had happened – hell, he'd been there that night and saved my ass – and I could be myself with him. I didn't have to hide any secrets from him – well, except for one.

I still hadn't told him why I couldn't go to the police, but for now he was letting it go. He'd asked me, though, why I hadn't wanted to go to the hospital at first so I'd explained him that my parents worked there and I hadn't wanted to take the risk in case some of their colleagues recognized me. Fortunately for me, no one had.

Besides Dimitri being a good instructor, he was also a genuinely nice guy. He'd proven that many times already and the first time had been when he found me drugged at that horrible party. When he'd saved me, he could've just dropped me off at my house and left, but instead he'd taken me to the hospital and stayed there with me until he knew I'd be okay. When I came to him and asked for private self-defense lessons, he didn't have to do it, but he did it anyway.

And every day I came in, he would ask me how I was doing, he would tell me that I could always talk to him and that he'd always be there for me – day and night. He barely knew me at that time and he'd been prepared to do so much for me.

Dimitri was no longer the stranger who'd saved my life or my instructor. He was my friend – a friend I could always rely on and I was more grateful than I could ever express. One day, I hoped to repay him for everything he'd done for me.

As I opened the door to the gym, I saw him sitting at the bar, drinking coffee. There was a blond guy sitting next to him and they were talking. The guy seemed familiar to me, but I had no idea where I'd seen him before. I walked over to them, but they didn't notice me approaching; they were still engrossed in their talk. I sneaked up behind Dimitri and gave him a push when he was just about to take another sip of his coffee. Startled, he turned around to look at me.

"Hi!" I said with a grin.

"Rose, you almost made me spill my coffee," he chastised, though he was smiling reluctantly.

I smiled at him sweetly. "Awe, I'm sorry, comrade."

"I'm sure you are," he muttered, nudging me with his shoulder.

I nudged him back and he smiled again. The blond guy looked at us curiously and then cleared his throat.

"Oh, Ivan, this is Rose," Dimitri said, introducing us to each other. "Rose, this is Ivan."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, giving him a polite smile.

"You too," he said, returning my smile. "I heard a lot about you." That earned him a glare from Dimitri. "Only good things, of course," Ivan added quickly. He glanced down at his watch and started to get up. "Anyway, I've got to go. Talk to you later, Dimitri. Bye Rose."

When he'd left, I turned to Dimitri. "He looks familiar to me. Is it possible I've seen him before?"

Dimitri's smile disappeared and he looked uncomfortable as he said, "Yeah, he was the one who picked Vika up when…you know…when I stayed with you that night."

"Oh," I said. "Right. I already thought I'd seen him before."

Whenever Dimitri brought up that night, he always looked uncomfortable and nervous, like he was scared I'd break down at the mere mention of it. Honestly, sometimes I wanted to. But I didn't want to give myself the time to think too much about it and let it drag me down. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to be strong. I knew I would never forget that night, but I could learn from it so it would never happen again.

We worked for over an hour that day. We went over the moves he'd thought me the past few weeks and then we practiced until I was finally able to break free from his choke hold without difficulty.

"You are doing very well, Rose," Dimitri complimented.

I smiled proudly. "Thank you."

I went to take a shower and changed into fresh clothes before walking to the bar. Tasha stood behind it and smiled at me when she saw me approaching.

"Hey Rose," she said. "How are your private lessons going?"

"Awesome," I said, sitting down on a bar stool. "Dimitri's a great instructor. Can I have a bottle of water? I'm_ so_ thirsty."

She turned around and grabbed a bottle from the fridge before handing it to me. Taking a big gulp from the water, I glanced at the clock and wondered what I was going to do all night. My parents were both at work so I would be all alone for dinner and the rest of the night.

In the past I would have loved this, but, lately, I didn't like being alone in the evenings. I didn't have anything to do and then I'd start thinking about things I didn't want to think about.

"You still here, Rose?"

I turned around in my seat and saw Dimitri. He looked like he'd showered – his hair was a little damp – and he'd changed into fresh clothes, too.

"Um yeah," I said, taking a sip of my water. "I don't feel like going home yet. No one's there anyway so it'd be just me."

Dimitri nodded and walked behind the bar. "Tasha, could you take over the front desk for a while? Ben's shift is almost over."

"Um, sure," she said after a moment of hesitation, "but who will do the bar, then?"

"I will," Dimitri said.

Tasha frowned a little. "Oh. You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No, it's calm right now so I'll be fine on my own," he answered.

"Okay," Tasha said reluctantly. She walked away, glancing over her shoulder a few times at Dimitri, before going to the front desk to relieve Ben.

"So, um, is Tasha your girlfriend?" I asked casually.

Dimitri gave me a funny look. "No. Why'd you think that?"

"Oh." I glanced back at Tasha, who was still sneaking glances at Dimitri. "No reason. I just thought…" I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. "I don't know. I just thought you were together or something."

"No, we aren't," he responded. "She's just a friend."

I didn't know why, but for some reason that made me happy. "Oh okay. Cool."

Dimitri was still looking at me funnily so I quickly drank the rest of my water to have something to do. I watched him serve some costumers.

"You know what I've been wondering," I mused when the costumers had left.

Dimitri glanced up at me, a hint of a smile on his face. "What?"

"What's behind that door," I said, pointing to the door next to his office. "I've been in every room in this gym, except for that one. What do you keep behind that door?"

Dimitri smirked. "Well, aren't you curious!"

I grinned. "So… What is it? You got some secret stash of western novels in there or what?"

He laughed at my comment and I felt something flutter inside of me. "No, I'm afraid not, Rose. That door leads to my apartment. It's above the gym."

"You have an apartment above your gym?" I exclaimed, gaping at him. He nodded. "Wow, that is so convenient. You just gotta go downstairs and you're already at your work."

"Yeah, it is pretty convenient," Dimitri agreed.

"How did you get the idea to start a gym anyway? You're still so young. How did you manage to do all this?" I said, waving around the room. Dimitri once told me he was twenty-four years old. I thought that was young to own a gym.

"This used to be my father's gym," Dimitri responded, not looking at me. His posture had turned stiff; I could see he didn't like talking about his father. I wondered why. "I took it over when he left."

I just nodded; realizing he probably didn't want to talk about it anymore. And I didn't want to pry. It was none of my business.

Sighing, I jumped off my bar stool. "I should go home now. I still have homework to do."

I made a face and he shook his head, smirking. I took out my wallet to pay for my water, but Dimitri shook his head again.

"You can keep that. It's on the house," he said.

"You sure?" I asked, still holding the money in my hand.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Keep it."

He smiled at me warmly and I felt that fluttering feeling again.

"Okay," I said, smiling back. "Thanks."

"Good night, Rose," Dimitri said as I started for the exit.

"Night, comrade," I called back before walking out.

I spent the rest of the night making homework and watching TV, willing myself not to think about _anything_ that had to do with that one night. Homework and TV were both a good distraction, but once I was lying in bed, I had nothing to distract myself with.

I sighed and closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep. The nights were always the hardest. Aside from the nightmares, I was sometimes afraid to fall asleep. Especially when I was home alone. I knew I was safe here, but somehow I was still scared. When I heard my mom come home a few hours later – it was already past midnight – I finally felt at ease enough to go to sleep.

The next day, I was met by Viktoria when I arrived at school.

"Hey Rose," she greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," I said, offering a smile. "You?"

"Fine. I was wondering, do you have plans tonight?"

"Um, no," I said. My parents were working late again so it would be just me tonight - again. "Why?"

She smiled widely. "Well, my mom asked if you might want to come over to our house for dinner?

I blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, sure?" I said after a few moments. It came out more like a question. Trying again, I smiled and said, "Yes, that would be great. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said happily as she walked with me to my locker.

"So, what time do I have to be there?" I asked. I had practice with Dimitri after school. Suddenly, I wondered if he was going to be there, too. I kind of hoped he would come. I didn't dare ask, though, in case she wanted to know why I was asking when I didn't even know the answer myself.

"Is seven p.m. okay for you?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll be there at seven, then."

She smiled again. "Good."

Suddenly, her smile faltered and I looked at her with worry. "Is everything alright?"

"Um, yeah," she said, looking uncomfortable. "I should be going now. I'll see you later."

I frowned and opened my mouth to say something, but she was gone before I could. Sighing, I turned around and came face to face with Lissa.

"Oh hey, Liss," I said smiling. She didn't return the smile. Now I knew why Viktoria had hurried off so quickly. "Um, what's up?"

Lissa raised her eyebrows. "What's up?" she repeated, looking at me incredulously. "What's up?" I flinched at the high-pitched sound of her voice. "Where have you been all week?" she demanded.

"Right here," I answered.

Lissa rolled her eyes at me. "Don't be the smartass right now, Rose. You know what I mean."

I let out a sigh. "Lissa, I really try to hang out with you, but you're always with Christian. And even when he isn't around, he's all you can talk about. I'm sorry, but that's just too much Christian for me."

She frowned. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't hate him," I said, a little uncomfortable. "I just…don't like him. That's all. I can't hang out with him all the time like you do."

Lissa huffed. "Not even when it's for me?"

I looked at her apologetically. "Liss, I don't mind spending time with you alone – not at all. You're my best friend."

"Then why haven't I seen you all week?"

"I just told you," I said. "I can't hang out with Christian and you all the time. It makes me feel like an outsider. And I have other friends, too."

"You mean Viktoria?" she said, sounding jealous.

"Yes," I replied. "And Eddie, too, of course."

She looked at me for a long time and then sighed. "Okay, I get you don't always want to be around when Christian is with me. And that's fine, but I really miss you, Rose. We have to spend more time together."

"I miss you too," I admitted. "And I really want to spend more time with you, too."

She smiled. "How about you come over to my place tonight?" Suddenly, she looked excited as she grabbed my hands. "We can have a sleepover! We haven't done that in ages."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, Liss, but I can't tonight. I'm having dinner with Viktoria's family."

Lissa scowled, but then recovered herself and forced a smile onto her face. "Fine. How about next weekend? My parents will be out of town, then. Andre will be there, though, but he won't be a problem."

"Okay," I agreed, smiling. "I'll come over next weekend."

Lissa looked relieved. "Great!"

She gave me a quick hug before skipping away. Pulling my textbook out of my locker, I made my way to class, glad Lissa had invited me over to her house for a sleepover - and the best part was that Christian wouldn't be there.

It would be just us like in the old days.

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><p><strong>Next chapter will be the dinner with the Belikovs. Will Dimitri be there, too? ;)<strong>

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I know it was short, but the next one will be longer. Promise ^^**

** Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

**RPOV**

After my self-defense class with Dimitri, I went straight home to get ready for dinner with the Belikovs. I hadn't asked Dimitri if he was coming. I'd wanted to, but I didn't want to come off like a clingy girl who was crushing on her handsome instructor. Especially because it seemed like he wasn't fond of clingy girls, like Tasha.

_Crush? Who said anything about a crush?_ I thought, laughing at myself. _I'm just attracted to him, that's all. And anyone who'd seen that face and that body would agree that it's hard not to be attracted to him. I mean, the guy's freaking hot._

After getting ready, I left the house and walked to Viktoria's house. It was a short walk. In ten minutes, I was there, ringing the bell at the front door at seven p.m. sharp.

Viktoria opened the door, a smile spreading across her face when she saw me. "Rose, come on in!" she said, pulling me inside. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Me too," I said, returning her smile.

Still holding on to my arm, she dragged me through the hallway and up the stairs. "Let's go to my room so we can talk."

"Um, shouldn't I say something to your mother?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

"No, no," she said, waving my worries away. "You can meet the family later. Mama is busy in the kitchen, anyway. Best not to disturb her when she's cooking," she added jokingly.

I followed her up to her room. She motioned for me to sit on her bed and then sat down next to me. I looked around her room. The walls were painted a bright pink color and were covered with posters from several celebs. I liked it.

"You have a nice room," I complimented.

"Thank you!" she said, smiling brightly. "This was actually Dimka's room before he moved out. He wasn't too happy when he found out I painted the walls pink."

I laughed. "I can imagine him not being happy about that, yeah."

"Well, I don't care. It's my room now," she said with a grin.

"True."

We chatted for a while about trivial things until someone called for us, telling that dinner was ready. I assumed it was Viktoria's mother. We went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. An older woman, who looked to be about forty, turned away from the stove and looked at us, smiling.

"Ah, you must be Rose," she said, walking towards me and hugging me. Startled, I hugged her back. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"You too, Mrs. Belikov," I said politely. "Thank you for inviting me over."

"Call me Olena," she said, smiling warmly. I noted that her accent was stronger than Viktoria's and Dimitri's accents. "And it's no problem at all."

"Where are Sonya and Karolina? Aren't they coming?" Vika asked.

"No. They'll come next time," Olena responded. "But Ivan will be here."

I saw Viktoria's eyes lit up. "Really?" she said, excited. Then she cleared her throat and said casually, "Oh. Cool."

I smirked. It seemed to me she had a little crush on Ivan. Well, why not? I had to admit he was good-looking with his blond hair and blue eyes, but not anything like Dimitri, though.

Just then, an old woman shuffled inside the kitchen. She had grey hair and wrinkles all over her face. She looked ancient. I realized this must be Viktoria's grandmother.

The old woman looked at me and then muttered something – in what I assumed was Russian – to Viktoria. Viktoria replied in Russian and the woman looked at me again. I glanced away, nervous, before saying, "Hello."

The woman grunted something in response and then walked over to Olena, talking rapidly to her in her native tongue.

"Don't worry, Rose," Viktoria said when she saw the look on my face. "Yeva isn't really fond of strangers. She acts like that around everyone that isn't her family. That will change, though," she added quickly, "once you come here more often."

"Okay," I said, a little perturbed.

Suddenly, I heard a door slam shut and then footsteps in the hallway. "I'm sorry we're late, Mama. Ivan forgot the time." I realized it was Dimitri's voice. Sensing from his tone, I knew he was probably glaring at Ivan right now. "Probably because he was-"

Dimitri cut himself off abruptly when he saw me standing in his mother's kitchen.

"Rose?" he said, looking surprised to see me.

I smiled. "Hey comrade. Long time no see."

He blinked, momentarily speechless. "What are you doing here? I mean – why didn't you tell me you'd be coming?"

"Um, I wasn't sure you were coming. And, well, I kind of forgot to mention," I lied. Crossing my arms, I smirked at him. "Why? Are you not happy to see me?"

"Of course I'm happy to see you. Although…" he said slowly, a grin spreading across his face. "I've already had enough of you for one day."

I gasped, feigning mock hurt. "You're going to regret you said that tomorrow when I beat the crap out of you!"

Dimitri laughed. "Sure, Rose. I almost believe you," he teased.

I opened my mouth to give one of my smartass retorts, but then noticed all the stares we were getting. Viktoria looked from Dimitri to me, a funny look on her face. Ivan just smirked, like he knew something the rest of us didn't know, and Olena looked at us curiously. Yeva just stared, a blank expression on her face. I felt myself blushing and glanced up at Dimitri, who looked uncomfortable all of a sudden.

At last, Ivan cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. "So, what's for dinner, Olena? I'm starving."

The tension in the room disappeared immediately. I was sat between Dimitri and Viktoria at the dinner table. Ivan took place next to Viktoria, much to her delight. I made a mental note to ask her about her little crush on Ivan later.

"I hope you're going to like it, Rose," Olena said as she put all the different dishes on the table.

It were all Russian dishes and none of them were familiar to me. It all smelled delicious, though, so I was sure it would taste just great. I tried everything and I took a second plate of the food I liked best – bliny, black bread and veal orlov. I stayed away from the borscht, though.

"It seems like you have a good appetite, Rose," Olena said smiling.

"Yeah, isn't that like your third plate already?" Viktoria said, astonished.

I blushed, feeling embarrassed. Maybe taking thirds was a bit too much.

"You should see her when she comes to the gym," Dimitri said chuckling as he nudged me. "She practically eats all the energy bars and leaves nothing to the other costumers."

"No one wants to eat those energy bars," I defended myself. "They're not even that good. I'm doing all your costumers a favor by eating them."

Dimitri just shook his head, laughing softly. "Oh, Rose," he sighed, smiling at me fondly.

I blushed again and quickly looked away from him.

After dinner, I offered Olena to help with the dishes, but she declined.

"Viktoria will help," she said, ushering me out of the kitchen.

Not knowing what to do with myself at that moment, I wandered off to the living room, where Dimitri and Ivan sat talking and joking around. It was so obvious those two were best friends. When Ivan saw me approach, he smiled at me.

"Hey Rose," he said. "Got kicked out of the kitchen?"

"Seems like it," I said, returning his smile.

"Well, you're the special guest after all," he said jokingly. "They don't want to put you to work." He got up and started for the door. "I'm going to see if the ladies need an extra hand."

I stood there awkwardly for a moment. "Mind if I join you?" I asked Dimitri at last.

He smiled at me. "Not at all, Rose."

I sat down next to him on the couch. "You have a really nice family. And your mother is so kind," I said.

"Yeah, she is," Dimitri said.

"And she is, like, the best cook ever," I added.

Dimitri chuckled. "That too."

"I don't think your grandmother likes me all that much," I said hesitantly.

"Don't worry too much about her. She doesn't talk much when there are strangers in the house," he answered. "It's nothing personal."

"Yeah, Viktoria said something like that," I said, nodding. "I hope to meet your other sisters one day and…"

I hesitated, biting my lip. I knew Dimitri didn't like talking about his father and Viktoria never talked about him either. It was like he didn't exist. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Dimitri mentioned once that he'd left. Had his parents gone through a bad divorce? Had Dimitri been in the middle of it all?

Sighing, I said, "Can I ask you something…personal?"

Dimitri looked at me warily. "Yes," he said after a few moments.

"What happened with your father?" I asked carefully. "You once mentioned he left. Did he…did he go back to Russia?"

He stiffened immediately and I realized I should have never brought it up.

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "He might be back in Russia, yes, but for all I know he's still in America. Honestly, I don't care where he is – just as long as he stays away from here." I looked at him, a little shocked at the bitterness in his voice. "Excuse me," he muttered, getting up and stroding away.

I watched him leave, feeling guilty for bringing the subject up. He clearly had unresolved feelings towards his father. Something really bad must've happened.

"Don't mind Dimitri. He gets a little rude whenever someone asks about his father. It's not his intention."

Startled, I turned around and saw Olena standing in the door opening. She smiled at me and then walked over, sitting down in the chair across from me.

"No, I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have asked," I said. "It's not any of my business."

"It's not that Dimitri doesn't wants to tell you," Olena said. "I'm sure he wants to. He trusts you and I can see you are…special to him." She smiled to herself. I frowned a little. Me? Special? Why would I be special to him? "Yes, you are," she said when she noticed the confused look on my face. "He's been teaching self-defense classes for years now, but he never got as invested in it as with you. He never gave anyone private lessons before – every day of the week."

"Well, I was pretty persistent," I admitted. "I didn't really give him a choice." As I looked at Olena, I wondered how much she knew. If she knew how much time I spent with Dimitri in the gym, did she also know the reason why? "Did he…did he tell you why I'm… why I'm taking self-defense lessons?"

"Viktoria told me what happened when she came home that night," Olena said. "She was worried about you. Dimka was, too. He felt the need to go and check on you, but he feared that you'd be scared of him, since he was a stranger to you. So instead he asked Viktoria to keep an eye on you. To make sure you were okay."

"He did?" I asked, surprised.

Olena nodded.

"I didn't know that." I looked down, folding my hands in my lap. Quietly, I said, "I owe him. If he hadn't been there that night…" My eyes burned with unshed tears. "If he hadn't gotten me out of there… God knows what would've happened to me. Dimitri saved my life and since then he's always been there for me. And he didn't even have to. I mean, he didn't know me back then." I sighed. "I owe him so much."

"I owe him too," Olena said. "He saved my life."

I looked up at her, curious. "What happened?" I asked hesitantly.

"Dimitri's father is an abusive man," Olena said. "The first few years of our marriage were fine, but after Viktoria was born – we'd just moved to America – things started to change. My husband was gone a lot and when he finally came home, he was drunk. That's when the beating started. And if beating me up was not enough, he found other ways to abuse me," she added, looking at me knowingly.

I gasped, my eyes widening in shock.

"My children saw the bruises on my face, my arms and legs and when they asked about it, I told them I fell down the stairs," she continued, a grim look on her face. "I made up tons of lies so they would never know what a cruel man their father was, but I think they had their suspicions. Usually, he kept his control when the kids were around. He only hit me when we were alone. But one day, he lost his temper when Dimitri was in the house. He found me in the kitchen, bruised up and bleeding. His father had run off before Dimitri could stop him. Dimitri made me tell him the truth and when his father returned later that day…"

I held my breath as I waited for her to continue. I couldn't believe that this family – this seemingly happy family – had gone through such a tragedy.

"Well, Dimitri was only seventeen at the time, but he was much stronger than his father. They got into a fight and this time it was my husband who took the beating. Dimitri threw him out and he never came back."

"Wow, I can't even imagine…how horrible that must've been," I said, shocked. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

She gave me a sad smile. "I let it happen to me. For ten years. I should've stopped him, should've gone to the police and reported him. But I didn't because I was afraid. Afraid of what he would do." She looked at me, her eyes piercing mine, and I started to wonder if she was trying to tell me something. Trying to tell me that I shouldn't make the same mistake. Clearing her throat, she said, "Anyway, Dimitri dropped out of school and took over the gym. Not a long time after, he started with the self-defense classes. Because he didn't want anyone to go through what I'd gone through. Mainly, the women who come take the class out of precaution. These days it isn't really safe for women to go out alone in the middle of the night."

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

"Well, since then he's been really protective of us all," Olena said, smiling faintly. "He's especially protective of Viktoria. His older sisters have their own families now and their husbands take good care of them. He doesn't need to worry about them anymore, but Viktoria is his baby sister."

I smiled. Viktoria had already complained to me a few times about how protective Dimitri was when it came to her.

"And now he has you to worry about, too," Olena added.

"Oh, but he doesn't have to. I mean, I'm just-"

"But he does," she interrupted gently. "Like I said earlier, you are special. Maybe it's because he was the one to find you in that room. Maybe it is because it triggered bad memories. Or maybe it's something else." She shrugged. "Who knows? But I do know that he cares about you and he wants you to be safe."

I didn't really know what to say to that. Before I could say something, though, she reached over and squeezed my hand gently. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Rose. And I hope my son can help you get through it. He certainly helped me get through my ordeal."

"Thank you," I said, squeezing her hand back.

Just then, Viktoria walked in with Ivan. Olena gave me another small smile and then walked back to the kitchen. Ivan said something to Viktoria and I heard her giggle. Ivan smiled at her widely before excusing himself.

"Do you have something to tell me?" I said to Viktoria, grinning.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I smirked. "Your little crush on Ivan."

"I – I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered, flustered.

I got up from the couch and walked over to her. "Awe, come on. It's so obvious you like him," I said teasingly.

She glanced around the room and then turned to me. "Please don't tell anyone," she said, looking at me pleadingly. "Especially not Dimka. You know how protective he is. He'll freak out if he finds out I like his best friend."

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed," I said smiling. Viktoria looked relieved. "So…does he like you back?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. "I don't know. I don't think so," she said sadly. "I mean, I'm just a dumb teenager, right?"

I frowned. "That's not true."

"A guy like him could never like me," she said. "He's twenty-four years old. He can have every woman in the world with those looks. What would he want with a sixteen-year-old?"

"Well, you're almost seventeen," I replied, grinning.

She snorted. "As if that will make a difference."

"Don't lose hope, Viktoria," I said, trying to cheer her up. "Maybe he does like you. It seems like it."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

Just then, Dimitri walked into the room and we quickly changed the subject.

When it started to get late, I decided to go home.

"I should go home now," I said to Olena. "Thank you for having me over. Dinner was amazing."

She smiled and hugged me. "You're always welcome here, Rose."

"Thank you," I said, suddenly feeling very grateful to have met this family.

"Do you want me to drive you home, Rose?" Dimitri asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, that's okay," I said quickly. "Don't trouble yourself."

He smiled. "It's no trouble. I need to drop off Ivan, too. And I'm not going to let you walk home in the dark."

"Okay," I said, glad he didn't seem angry with me.

I said goodnight to Viktoria, Olena and Yeva – who just scowled at me – and then followed Dimitri and Ivan outside. I got to sit in the passenger's seat and Ivan had to sit in the back, much to his chagrin.

"This is so unfair," he complained. "I've got longer legs. I need the space."

"I'm a lady," I said, turning around in my seat to look at him.

"You don't seem very ladylike to me," Ivan shot back.

I stuck my tongue out at him and turned back around. When I glanced at Dimitri, I saw the hint of a smile on his face. He dropped Ivan off first at his apartment. There was an awkward silence in the car after Ivan had left. I wondered if Dimitri was still ticked off about me bringing up his father again.

The silence was deafening when Dimitri parked his car in front of my house a few minutes later. I didn't make a move to get out, but I didn't try to talk to him either.

When I couldn't bear the silence anymore, I said quietly, "I'm sorry."

Dimitri looked up at me, confused.

"About earlier," I explained. "I shouldn't have asked you about your father. I know it is a sensitive subject."

"No, it's fine," he said. "I overreacted. I'm sorry."

I looked down at my lap, not sure what else I could say. I figured I should probably leave now. But as I reached to open the door, Dimitri suddenly said, "She told you, didn't she?" I sat back down in my seat and looked at him. "My mother," he said, clearing his throat. "She told you what happened."

I gave him a slight nod. "I'm sorry that happened to your family. It must've been so hard," I whispered.

"It was, but he's gone now," he said stiffly.

"Thanks to you. I think what you did for your mother is really brave."

He avoided my gaze. "I couldn't let him destroy my family. He had to go."

"Your father didn't deserve such a loving family," I said softly, placing my hand on his arm. "You did the right thing, Dimitri."

"I beat up my father," he muttered, staring straight ahead of him. "How is that right?"

"It was to protect your mother, your family," I said. "You saved your mother's life. And mine, too," I added. "For which I'm very grateful."

Finally, he looked up at me and a small smile spread across his face. "Thank you, Roza."

"Roza?" I asked curiously.

To my surprise, he blushed. "It's your name in Russian."

I smiled. "I like it." Sighing, I glanced at my house. "Well, I guess I should go inside now. Thanks for driving me home, Dimitri."

"You're welcome," he said softly.

I looked at him, hesitating for a brief moment, before I leaned forward and hugged him, startling him.

"Thanks for everything," I murmured.

Before he could react, I pulled away from him and then opened the car door. He hadn't driven off yet when I reached my front door. I turned around and waved at him before slipping inside.

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><p><strong>That was it for this chapter. I hope you liked it. I know Dimitri's supposed to be thirteen when he beats up his dad, but it made more sense if he was a little bit older in this story. What do you think of Viktoria having a crush on Ivan? Would you like the idea of them having a relationship ? <strong>

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for your reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 7<strong>

**RPOV**

"My, my, what's all this? Are you going camping or what?"

Rolling my eyes, I turned around and faced Christian. "No, I'm staying at Lissa's this weekend," I said, giving him a smug smile. "Didn't she tell you?"

His face fell. "All weekend?"

I shrugged. "Probably."

"Damn," he muttered.

"Oh, come on," I said as I stuffed my bag into my locker. "Like you don't see her every day already. I think you can manage two days without her."

He smirked. "Well, maybe I'll drop by for a surprise visit. I'm pretty sure Lissa would like that."

"Don't you dare," I warned, pointing a finger at him. "I don't want to see you this weekend."

He chuckled darkly and leaned against the lockers with his shoulder, stuffing his hands inside his jeans pockets. "You really hate me, don't you?"

I glanced at him, realizing that might've been a little bit harsh. "I don't hate you," I mumbled. "I just…don't like you very much."

He smiled and slung his arm around my shoulder. "What a coincidence. I feel the same way about you."

I shrugged off his arm, but smiled reluctantly. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be with Liss?"

"Yeah, she went to the bathroom. I came to talk to you to kill some time."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically. "Anyway, can you tell Liss I'll meet her at her locker after school? I got to go now."

"Tell her yourself," he responded, crossing his arms. He was grinning, though, so I knew he didn't mean it.

It sucked that I'd had to cancel my practice with Dimitri because Lissa had wanted me to come home with her straight after school. She'd also wanted me to stay for the whole weekend so that meant I wouldn't see Dimitri until Monday. On the other hand, I was also glad that I got to spend a whole weekend with my best friend. I couldn't even remember the last time we did that.

Still lost in thought, I rounded the corner and bumped into someone. "Sorry," I apologized, looking up. When I realized who it was, I stepped back immediately.

"Hey Rose," Jesse said with a grin. "Long time no see. How are you doing?"

"Leave me alone," I growled.

As I passed him, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Not so quick," he said. I pulled my arm out of his grasp and glared at him. "Someone's in a foul mood," he taunted.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"I hope you've been a good girl and kept quiet," he said. "Otherwise I'm going to have to tell my brother and he won't be happy if he finds out-"

"I didn't go to the cops. So don't worry, your father doesn't know what kind of sons he has," I snarled.

Jesse smirked. "Careful now. You don't want to lose your temper and get in trouble, right?"

I gritted my teeth. "Leave me alone."

I turned around and walked away. I heard Jesse laughing and then he called after me, "It was nice talking to you, Rose! I'll tell my brother you said hi!"

I turned back around and flipped him off before hurrying out of the empty hallway. Angry tears filled my eyes and I quickly blinked them away. I was still upset about the whole thing when I met up with Lissa after school, but as soon as I saw her, I forced a smile onto my face and pretended everything was alright.

Andre came to pick us up with his car. He was already there, waiting for us, when we reached the parking lot.

"Hey Andre!" I greeted as I got into the backseat. "How have you been?"

He looked at me from the rearview mirror and smiled. "I'm all good, Rose. You?"

"Awesome," I said, plastering a smile across my face.

When we got to Lissa's house – which was more like a mansion, really – we went to Lissa's room immediately. We spent the next few hours gossiping and painting our nails like we used to do before Christian came along. It was fun to be careless again, even if it was just for a few hours. But as we sat there, just talking, I contemplated on telling her the truth. I _wanted _to tell her, because she was my best friend and I prayed she'd understand.

"So, um, Liss," I started, clearing my throat. "There's something I'd like to tell you."

"Oh my God, look at the text Christian just sent me!" Lissa squealed, her phone in her hands, totally oblivious to what I'd said. "He's just so cute!"

"Yeah, if you say so," I muttered. I put the nail polish away and took a deep breath. "But Lissa, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Aww, he's saying that he misses me already!" Lissa gushed. "I miss him too, but I told him that this weekend is just for us. It would be nice to see him, though, but I guess that'll have to wait until Monday. I know you two can't be in one room for too long."

I clenched my jaw. "Yeah."

She put her phone away and smiled at me. "Sorry, did you want to tell me something?"

I looked at her for a long time and then shook my head, suppressing a sigh. "No. No, I didn't. Just...trying to make conversation."

Lissa smiled again. "Alright then!"

When we both started to get hungry, we made our way down to the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard shouts coming from the living room. I turned to look at Lissa, my eyebrows raised.

"Andre has a few friends over," she said with a shrug. "They're probably gaming." Suddenly, her face lit up and she grinned at me. "Hey, do you wanna go say hi to them? Maybe there's a cute guy for you. It's been so long since you had a boyfriend."

"I don't need a boyfriend," I said.

"I didn't say you _need_ one, but it'd be fun if you had one," Lissa replied, excited. "Then we could double date! How amazing would that be?"

Before I could protest, she dragged me to the living room, her hunger forgotten. I sighed and followed her inside. Andre looked up when we entered and paused the game.

"Hey sis, do you need something?" he asked.

"No, we just came to say hi," Lissa said, smiling brightly at the guys. "See what you guys are doing."

"Okay…" Andre said, giving his sister a strange look.

I stood a little behind Lissa, not really wanting to meet any of those guys. I didn't want a boyfriend. Not right now. After what happened to me, I didn't really like hanging around guys anymore on my own, except for my friends. And Dimitri, of course.

"Who's your friend?" one of the guys asked.

My blood ran cold as I heard that voice. _No, it can't be_, I thought, already starting to panic. My mind was playing ticks on me. He couldn't be here.

Lissa stepped aside and nudged me forward. "This is Rose. She's my best friend."

I paled when I saw Nathan sitting on the couch, in between two guys I didn't know. He leaned forward in his seat so he could see me properly and grinned.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, Rose," he said, amusement in his eyes. "My name's Nathan." Lissa looked at me, excited that I'd caught his interest. "You look familiar to me," he continued. "Have we met before?"

I stared at him, unable to say a word. My heart was beating abnormally fast and my hands were sweating. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Rose?" Lissa said, a frown forming on her face. When I didn't react, she nudged me again. "Say something to him," she hissed in my ear.

_Breathe. Just breathe_, I told myself, trying to calm down. _He can't hurt you here._

Giving him a tight smile, I said, "I don't think so."

"Really? Maybe not. I'm sure I would've remembered such a pretty face," Nathan said, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Hey, stop flirting with my baby sister's best friend!" Andre said scowling. "I'm sitting right here."

Nathan shrugged, grinning. "Why do you care? It's not your sister."

"She's practically a sister to me so she's off limits," Andre warned.

Lissa scowled. "Andre, that's none of your business. Rose can decide for herself if-"

"I'm really hungry, Liss," I cut her off quickly. "Can we go back to the kitchen now?"

She gave me a weird look, but then shrugged. "Sure."

I quickly walked to the door. Glancing over my shoulder, I looked at Andre and shot him a smile. Honestly, I was glad he'd said Nathan should leave me alone. In that moment, he'd been my hero.

"Why didn't you talk to him?" Lissa asked as she put the pizzas in the oven. "He was cute."

"Like I said, I don't really want a boyfriend," I mumbled.

Lissa sighed. "What happened to you, Rose?" The question startled me and for a moment I thought she knew what had happened to me. But then she continued, "Ever since you started hanging out with that Viktoria girl you've been different. You changed."

"That's not true," I said. "I'm still the same person. Viktoria doesn't have anything to do with that. And she's a nice girl. You would like her if you gave her a chance."

"I don't know," Lissa said with a shrug. "Isn't she, like, poor or something?"

My eyes almost bugged out. I couldn't believe my best friend had become so shallow. "No! So what, she isn't as rich as us, but that doesn't mean that she's poor."

She shrugged, disinterested. "I guess. I left my phone in my room," she said, changing the subject. "I'm going to get it. I'll be right back."

I nodded and leaned against the counter, keeping an eye on our pizzas in the oven and trying not to think about Nathan sitting in the next room. Just then, Andre walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," I said, offering him a smile.

"Hey," he said, opening the fridge to take a soda. "You want one, too?"

I nodded and he handed me a can. "Thanks."

"It's been a while since I've seen you around here," he noted, coming to stand next to me.

"Yeah, I know. Lissa's been spending a lot of time with Christian lately and I've been busy, too," I said. I took a sip from my soda and looked up at him. "So who are your friends?"

"They're my college buddies," he replied.

"Oh," I said, trying to appear casual. "Nathan, too?"

"Yeah, he's in one of my classes. He's alright." He looked at me suspiciously. "Why?"

"No reason," I said quickly.

"You aren't interested in him, are you?" he asked, a warning note in his voice.

"God, no," I said, shivering involuntarily. The thought alone made me feel sick to my stomach.

"He's a nice enough guy, but when it comes to girls…" His face darkened. "He's a player. Every week he has a new girlfriend."

I wondered how many of those girlfriends he'd tried to rape – and if he had ever succeeded.

"So you better stay away from him," Andre said, his green eyes piercing mine. "You deserve a lot better than him."

"Thanks, Andre," I murmured.

Clearing his throat, he looked away. "Anyway, I should go back. Catch you later."

"Bye," I said as I watched him walk away.

Lissa returned shortly after. She told me she'd been on the phone with Christian, which is why it had taken so long. I told her it was fine.

After dinner – my appetite had disappeared after seeing Nathan so I hadn't eaten all that much – we returned to her room and watched movies. By midnight, Lissa had fallen asleep. I pulled the covers over her, flicked the lights out and then lay down on the other side of the bed, trying to catch some sleep too. I couldn't, though, because I was starting to get hungry again.

Quietly, I got out of bed and snuck down to the kitchen. I started rummaging through the fridge, in search for something to eat. Suddenly, I heard a noise at the door so I quickly looked up. There was someone standing there, leaning against the wall.

"Who's there?" I asked. The lights flicked on and I saw Nathan, grinning at me. "What are you still doing here?" I hissed.

Nathan shrugged. "I'm crashing here tonight," he said casually. "I heard some noise. Thought I'd go check if someone was here. I have to say, it's a pleasant surprise to see you here."

"Now that you've seen me, you can leave," I growled, backing up.

He smirked and stepped closer. "But I don't want to leave. I want to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you," I snapped, my heart hammering in my chest. "Stay the hell away from me."

Nathan ignored me. "I didn't know you're friends with Andre's sister."

"I can't believe Andre is friends with someone like you," I said, clenching my fists, hoping it would stop my hands from shaking. "If he knew who you really are and what you did to me…he would kill you."

Nathan chuckled. "What? You going to tell him?" I crossed my arms and looked at him defiantly. "Did you forget that my father is the Chief of police and what would happen if you told anyone?"

"No, I remember it perfectly," I said icily. "But one of these days you'll get caught. You won't be able to get away with this forever."

This time he laughed outright. "Babe, there's one thing you should know. I can do whatever the hell I want and they won't catch me. _Ever_."

I gulped and he took another step closer to me. My back was against the counter and there was nowhere I could go.

"If I remember correctly, we still have some business to finish," he said slowly. My breathing grew fast and shallow as he approached. I looked around for anything I could use as a weapon, but there was nothing to be found near me. "How about we finish it right now?"

"Leave me alone," I warned.

"Or what?" he taunted, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "What are you going to do to stop me?"

"I…"

He stopped in front of me and grabbed my wrists. "That's right. There's nothing you can do to stop me. Absolutely nothing."

I tensed and wanted to jerk my hands away from him, but his grip was too firm. _Come on, Rose. Stay calm and think. What did Dimitri teach you?_

"You and I are going to have so much fun," Nathan murmured, leaning closer.

I stood there, frozen. I was terrified and suddenly I couldn't remember a single thing Dimitri had taught me – not a single move. Nothing. I racked my brain, trying to remember what I had to. But nothing came to mind. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. It was getting harder to breathe and I felt like I was going to faint.

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

I jumped when I heard Andre's voice. Nathan stepped away quickly and put on an innocent face. Quickly, I scurried away from him, my heart still beating rapidly.

"Relax. We were only talking," Nathan said with a grin as he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Didn't seem like it," Andre said, looking at Nathan suspiciously. "You weren't hitting on her, were you?"

"Nah, she's too young for me," Nathan said with an shrug.

"I need to go," I whispered, still frightened, before sprinting out of the kitchen.

"Rose, wait!" Andre called after me.

I ignored him and ran upstairs, pushing the door to Lissa's bedroom open. The lights were already on and Lissa sat up in bed, a confused look on her face.

"What's going on? Did I hear someone yell?" she asked.

I started packing my bag in a hurry, not pausing to answer Lissa's questions.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Lissa asked, getting up and walking over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you leaving? It's the middle of the night!"

"I can't stay, Liss. I'm sorry," I said, distressed.

"But why?"

I turned around to face her. "I'm sorry, I just have to go. I can't stay here. I… I need to go."

She frowned. "Rose…"

Tears filled my eyes and I quickly blinked them away. "I'm really sorry, Liss," I choked out before running out the door.

"Rose!"

I passed Andre in the hallway. I saw Nathan standing behind him, a satisfied smirk on his face. I started for the front door, but Andre blocked me.

"Rose, what's wrong?" he exclaimed.

"I can't stay here. I have to go," I said, my voice wavering. It wouldn't take long anymore before I'd burst out into tears.

"But Rose," he said, shocked, "it's two in the morning! You can't leave now."

"You don't get it. I can't be here right now," I said, avoiding Nathan's stare. "I'm sorry."

I jerked open the front door and ran outside. Andre followed me out and called my name a few times, but I kept running. When I thought I was far enough from the house, I slowed down and took out my cell phone. My hands were trembling and I almost dropped my phone, but at last I managed to dial the number and call the only person who could help me right now.

Dimitri.

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><p><strong>That was it for this chapter. Let's hope Dimitri answers his phone before something bad happens to Rose ;)<strong>

**A lot of you seemed to like the idea of Viktoria and Ivan as a couple. Would you care to read a Viktoria POV sometime? Just let me know :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 8<strong>

**DPOV**

The ringing of my phone woke me up in the middle of the night. Groaning, I rolled onto my other side and groped for my phone on my nightstand. As I glanced at the clock, I saw it was past two in the morning. I hoped that whoever was calling had a good reason to wake me up at a time like this.

"What is it?" I grumbled into the phone.

"Dimitri?"

I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. It was just my name, but I'd recognized her voice immediately. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know what to do."

I frowned. I wasn't sure, but I thought she was crying. "Rose, what happened?"

"I saw Nathan."

My heart nearly stopped.

"Can you please come and get me?" she cried into the phone. "I'm scared."

I was already up and getting dressed as I asked, "Where are you?"

She told me. Two minutes later, I was in my car and rushed to Rose. I had no idea what was going on and if Nathan had done something to her. _Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay…_

I saw a figure standing at the entrance of the park. When I drove closer, I saw it was Rose. Quickly, I got out of the car and ran over to her.

"Rose!" I said, grabbing her by her arms. She was trembling and tears trickled down her face. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm… I'm fine," she whispered. She was only wearing a tank top and shorts and her arms felt cold. I quickly wrapped my duster around her, hoping it would warm her up. "Can we please go?"

I nodded and led her back to the car. "You want me to take you home?"

Rose shook her head quickly. "No," she said desperately, her eyes widening. "I don't want to go home. Please don't leave me alone tonight. Please-"

"Okay," I said gently. "I'll take you to my place, okay?"

She sagged in relief and nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

The drive back was quiet. I kept glancing at Rose to make sure she was okay. She looked distraught and her cheeks were wet from crying. I wondered what the hell had happened to her. I couldn't help but worry the whole time as I drove her back to my place. I wanted to know what was wrong, but I didn't want to force answers out of her either. So I waited until she was ready to tell me.

When we finally arrived, I took her upstairs to my apartment. She followed me quietly. Silent tears were still running down her cheeks.

Gently, I pushed her down onto the couch before rushing to the other side of the room to fetch some blankets. I wrapped them around her and she smiled at me gratefully. But the smile disappeared quickly and another tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and took a deep breath, calming down.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, avoiding looking at me. "I just didn't know who else to call."

"That's okay," I said gently, sitting down next to her. "You can call me anytime."

She nodded. "Thank you."

Silence fell. Several minutes passed as I waited for her to say something. Anything. At last, I couldn't bear the silence anymore and asked, "What happened?"

"Remember I told you I was going to spend this weekend with my friend Lissa and that's why I couldn't make it for practice?" she started, her voice quiet.

I nodded. "Is that where you were when you called me?"

"Yes," she answered. "I went home with her after school. Her brother Andre had some friends over from college and…" She swallowed heavily. "Nathan was there."

I went rigid as soon as she mentioned his name. "What?"

"Apparently he's friends with Andre," she mumbled, tightening the blankets around her. "I didn't know he was going to stay the night, too. I thought he'd gone home. But when I went to the kitchen to get some food, he was suddenly there." Her bottom lip quivered and new tears formed in her eyes. "He wanted to…finish what he'd started. I – I tried to get away from him, but he grabbed me and I…" She looked up at me, a look of despair on her face. "I couldn't remember a single move you taught me. I panicked. I couldn't move. I just stood there."

"Oh, Rose," I sighed. "You were scared. It's normal that you panicked."

"But how can I defend myself if I panic every time I see him?" she cried.

Sobs wracked her body and I quickly pulled her into my arms, hugging her tight. "Shh, it's okay," I murmured in a soothing voice. "You're with me now. You're safe."

I held her until her sobs quieted down. She pulled away slightly to look at me, but stayed in my arms. I looked at her, hesitating to ask what had been going through my mind since she told me about what happened with Nathan.

"Did he…did he touch you?" I asked at last. If he'd hurt her in any way, I would kill the bastard. I would go find him and strangle him with my bare hands.

Rose shook her head. "He didn't get the chance. Andre walked in on us and then I left. I packed my stuff and ran out of the house and then I called you."

"Good," I said, relieved. "I'm glad he didn't hurt you. And I'm glad you called me."

She rested her head against my shoulder. "Lissa is going to be so angry with me. I just left – without an explanation."

"Rose, I know you don't want anyone to know," I started carefully, "but maybe you should tell Lissa and her brother. I mean, he's friends with Nathan… He probably doesn't even know that Nathan is-"

"No," she cut me off. "They can't know."

"But Rose," I protested. "What if he tries something with your friend? They have to know that Nathan is dangerous."

"No, Nathan isn't that stupid to go after Lissa. He acted all nice and innocent when Andre was there," she responded, her voice trembling. "He's after _me_. He…he won't stop until he gets what he wants and that's me."

"I'm not going to let that happen," I said firmly. "I swear, Roza, he will _never_ touch you again. I promise."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm just so scared. I can't sleep and when I finally do, I keep having nightmares about him, about that night. I thought I would feel better now that you taught me how to defend myself, but when I needed to act, I completely froze."

"You panicked. Besides, you haven't been practicing that long," I said. "You'll get better soon and you won't freeze again. Next time, you'll be able to fight him off." _But I hope to dear God there won't be a next time_, I added silently. "For now, I'll protect you," I continued. "You just have to call or text and I'll be right there. I promise, Roza."

Rose looked up at me and then wrapped her arms around me, hugging me. "Thank you, Dimitri. How am I ever going to repay you?"

"You don't have to thank me," I murmured as I hugged her back and pressed my lips to her forehead. I was so, so relieved she was okay, that she was safe.

"I always wondered why you care so much about what happens to me, but ever since your mother told me…about your father." She sighed. "Now I know why you're doing this for me."

"What happened to my mother isn't the only reason why," I told her. "It's also because I care about you. I want you to be safe." I pulled away from the hug and looked at her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face before resting my hand on her cheek. "And I want you to be happy."

Slowly, a small smile spread across her face as she looked up at me. I stared back into her beautiful brown eyes and wished there was something I could do to make her happy. I _wanted_ to make her happy. She didn't deserve this misery; she deserved to be happy and carefree - like every other teenager.

Suddenly, I realized my hand was still resting on her cheek. I pulled away quickly, clearing my throat.

"You tired?" I asked, avoiding her gaze.

She nodded. "Yes. Exhausted, really."

I helped her up from the couch and led her to my bedroom. "You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No," she said quickly, her eyes widening. "I can take the couch. You don't have to-"

"You're going to sleep in the bed," I interrupted. "No arguing. Is there anything you need? If you're cold, I can give you something…"

"Nah, I'm fine. I've got some clothes in my bag, but I think my PJs will be enough," she said, motioning to the shorts and tank top she was wearing. "Besides, I've got some extra blankets now."

I smiled. "Well, if you need something else, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, comrade," she murmured. "I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome." I turned around and walked to the door. "Good night, Roza."

"Night, comrade."

I closed the door behind me and then made my way to the couch. I flopped down on it and tried to make myself comfortable. I couldn't fall asleep, though. I kept thinking about Rose and what had happened tonight. And what _could have_ happened if that Andre guy hadn't shown up when he had.

I realized that Nathan wasn't going to leave Rose alone – not before he got what he wanted. I wanted to protect Rose, but I knew I couldn't be there all the time and that worried me.

Just when I finally started to drift off, I heard screams coming from the bedroom. Startled, I shot up from the couch and sprinted to the bedroom. I opened the door and saw Rose thrashing in the bed. She was crying and screaming, "Let me go! Get off of me!" I could already guess what she was dreaming about – or rather, _who_.

I ran over to her and shook her shoulders. "Rose. Rose!"

One of her hands flew out to me, slapping me across the cheek. It stung, but I ignored the pain and kept shaking her shoulders until she finally woke up. Her eyes flew open and she looked up at me, gasping. She looked scared as hell and I think she thought she was still dreaming because she started struggling against me, screaming even louder.

"Rose, it's me!" I shouted. "It's me. Dimitri. Rose, calm down." She was crying hysterically and kept trying to push me away. "Rose. _Roza_!"

Suddenly, she stopped struggling. "Dimitri," she whispered as she stared at me, her eyes wide and her breathing harsh and uneven. She sat up and I moved away to give her some space. "Oh my God… I thought…" Her eyes flicked to mine again and her bottom lip started to quiver. "I'm sorry, I thought you were Nathan."

"It's okay," I murmured softly, wrapping my arms around her when she started crying softly. "It was just a nightmare. You're okay. You're safe."

Rose clutched my shirt in her hands and buried her face into my chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she kept saying over and over again.

"Shh, Roza," I whispered soothingly, pressing my lips to her hair. "It's alright. Don't cry." I hated it when women cried, but I hated it even more when Rose cried. It tugged at my heart to see her so sad. "Don't cry, Roza."

I stroked her hair, hoping it would soothe her. It did. Her sobs finally quieted down. She was shivering, whether it was from the cold or the fright, I did not know. I started rubbing her arms with my hands, hoping it would warm her up.

"You okay?" I murmured.

She nodded, her face still buried in my chest. "I'm sorry," she said again in a muffled voice.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," I replied softly.

We sat in silence for a while. My arms were still wrapped around her, even though she'd stopped shivering by now.

"You want to try and get some more sleep?" I asked at last.

Rose pulled away from me and nodded slowly. I got up from the bed and she lay back down. I put the covers over her and then started for the door, but her hand shot out and she grabbed my wrist.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

"I don't want to be alone," she whispered, looking at me pleadingly. "Please stay here."

I looked at her for a long time, hesitating. At last, I nodded. "Okay," I whispered back. "I'll stay if you want me to."

Rose moved a little so I could climb in beside her. I found her hand under the covers and squeezed it gently. She snuggled closer and I wrapped my arm around her.

"Go back to sleep now," I whispered, pressing another kiss to her hair. "You need it."

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. I waited until I was sure she'd fallen asleep before I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know. But you wanted a quick update, right? ;)<strong>

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and have a nice day/evening! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you very much for all your reviews, favorites and follows! :)**

**!:**** There will be a Viktoria POV in this chapter for the readers who wanted one. It's near the end so if you don't want to read it, you can skip it. There isn't any important information in it, only fluff ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 9<strong>

**RPOV**

When I woke up the next morning, Dimitri was still asleep next to me. His arms were wrapped around me, a small smile playing on his lips. He looked so peaceful and at ease. A strand of hair lay on his cheek and, carefully, I tucked it behind his ear.

It was strange that, since my ordeal with Nathan, I cringed away from every guy's touch – even if it was a harmless gesture like putting a hand on my shoulder. But with Dimitri it was different. I didn't cringe whenever he touched me. Not at all. His arms were wrapped around me right now and I felt like I was in the safest place in the world. I felt like no harm could come to me as long as I was here with Dimitri.

Sighing, I glanced away as I thought about last night. I was embarrassed about what had happened. I didn't know how I was going to face Lissa on Monday and explain why I had run off. I shouldn't have run, but I knew I couldn't have stayed either – not with Nathan there. Still, I felt like I should have done _something_. Something to show Nathan that he could not scare me, but all I showed him was how afraid I really was of him.

And then what happened here with Dimitri last night. The nightmare, the screaming and the crying. It was so embarrassing. I didn't want to know what he was thinking of me right now. He probably thought I was a weak and dependent girl that couldn't take care of herself. I didn't want him to think I was weak. I didn't want to_ be_ weak.

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Dimitri stir beside me. He opened his eyes slowly and when he saw me lying next to him and realized that his arm was draped over my waist, his eyes widening slightly. He quickly pulled his arm away and sat up, scooting away from me a little.

"Morning," I mumbled, offering him a smile.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Good morning."

I sat up, too, and looked at Dimitri. I gasped when I saw a bruise on his cheek. How could I not have noticed it before?

"Oh my God," I said, realizing I was the one who'd given him the bruise when he'd been trying to wake me up last night. "Dimitri, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you."

Dimitri touched his cheek carefully and winced a little. "It's okay, Rose," he murmured, looking at me. "It was an accident."

"But-"

"Rose," he cut me off, "it's fine. Really."

"I'm really sorry," I mumbled, looking down at my lap. "And not just about hitting you. About everything. I shouldn't have called you and dragged you into this mess – _again_. I-"

"Stop. Stop right there," he interrupted me again. "Rose, I told you before. You can call me every hour of the day. It doesn't matter what the reason is. I'll be there whenever you need me."

"But I don't want to be a liability," I said sadly. "You have your own life."

"Rose, you're not a liability," Dimitri responded firmly. "I care about you and I want you to be safe. I'm glad you called me last night. Staying in the same house where Nathan is... It's _not_ a good idea. Even if there are other people around. You did the right thing in leaving."

I nodded. "Okay."

His features softened when he spoke next, "I worry about you, Roza. I don't want anything bad happening to you. So you have to promise me you'll call me right away if you see Nathan again – or if there's something else." I looked at him. "Promise me, Roza."

"I promise," I whispered.

"Good."

He smiled warmly and I felt that strange fluttering sensation again I'd felt a few times before whenever he smiled at me like that. I returned his smile and then, before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and hugged him. I felt his arms wrap around me immediately.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," I said in a muffled voice as I buried my face in his neck. The words came out before I could stop them. But I meant it. I meant what I'd said. I didn't know what I'd do without him. I've never needed someone as much as I needed him in my life right now – not even Lissa. "I don't think I would be able to get through this if you weren't here."

"It's going to be fine, Roza," he murmured. "It'll get better – _you_ will get better – and then you won't need me anymore. You'll be able to fight back on your own."

"I hope so," I sighed. "Because I don't want to be weak."

"You're not weak," Dimitri said, pulling back from the hug so he could look at me. His eyes pierced mine as he continued, "You're hurting and you're frightened, but that's normal after what you've been through. But you want to change that. You don't want to stay in that pit of despair. You want to get out of it. That's what makes you strong."

I laughed humorlessly. "I don't feel very strong, to be honest."

"You will be and I'm going to help you."

I let out another sigh. "You know, you don't have to do all this for me."

The corner of his mouth turned up a little. "I know." I looked down and he lifted my chin with his fingers. "But I want to," he added softly.

I couldn't help but smile at that. "You're like the nicest guy I've ever met," I told him. _And the hottest_, I thought. "Even though it was under the worst circumstances ever, I'm glad I met you."

This time, his smile was full-on. "So am I."

I stared at him, wondering how the hell this guy was still single. He was just so amazing. Any woman would be lucky to have him. A weird thought entered my mind just then. For a moment, I wondered how it would feel like to kiss him. _What the hell am I thinking?_ I started blushing furiously at the thought and quickly looked away before he'd notice.

"You hungry?" Dimitri asked as he got up. I nodded. "Come on, I'll make you breakfast."

Ten minutes later, we sat in silence, eating our scrambled eggs with bacon and toast. I looked around the apartment as I ate my breakfast. The place was small but cozy. I liked it.

"So, um, Dimitri," I said quietly, breaking the comfortable silence. He looked up at me, a questioning look on his face. "There's something you probably should know," I continued, hesitant. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him, but I felt like I owed him the truth – all of it, not just a part. "But promise me you won't freak out."

He looked at me warily. "That doesn't sound good," he said.

"Promise me you won't freak out," I repeated, locking eyes with him. "Promise."

"Fine," he said. "I promise."

I eyed him for a few more moments, wondering if he meant it. He looked sincere enough so I decided to tell him.

"Remember when you asked me why I didn't want to go to the police?" I started.

He nodded, a wary look crossing his face.

I looked down at my plate, biting my lip. "Well… At first I didn't want to go because I was feeling so ashamed and I didn't want anyone to find out about it. I still don't want anyone to find out about it," I added quickly. "But there's another reason…"

"Okay," he said after a pause. "You want to tell me what that reason is?"

I nodded, biting my lip again. Taking a deep breath, I blurted out, "Nathan's father is the Chief of police."

Dimitri stared at me for several moments, stunned, before saying, "What?"

"Nathan said that if I'd go to the police, it wouldn't make a difference. In fact, I would only get in trouble because I'd be accusing the Chief's son. They would never believe me."

Dimitri scowled. "That's ridiculous!"

"There's no evidence that he was the one who tried to rape me," I argued.

"I _saw_ him!" Dimitri said angrily. "I can identify him."

"Honestly, I believe Nathan when he says it won't do any good. He will want his revenge if he'd ever find out that I went to the police. And nothing actually happened. So what could they charge him with anyway?"

Dimitri stared at me, incredulous. "Are you serious, Rose? They could charge him for attempted rape!"

I put my face in my hands. "You promised you wouldn't freak out, Dimitri," I mumbled.

"I'm not freaking out! I just don't understand why you-"

"I already told you so many times," I said, starting to get annoyed. "I don't want my family and friends to find out and I don't want to get in more trouble with Nathan either. He scares me, Dimitri. I just want him to leave me alone. As soon as I've finished our practices and I can defend myself against him, he might leave me alone."

"And then he'll look for a new victim," Dimitri said.

I looked up at him and sighed. "There's not enough proof. For starters, they didn't find any of his DNA on me. It's my word against his. And yes, I know," I added when Dimitri opened his mouth to protest, "You can ID him, but they might think you're lying for me. Do you honestly think the Chief is going to charge his own son when there's practically no proof it was him? Jesse and Ralf will protect him, too."

"Who are Jesse and Ralf?" Dimitri asked.

"Jesse's his younger brother and Ralf is his idiot friend. They're both in my year."

Dimitri looked deep in thought. "There were two guys guarding that bedroom I found you in. Maybe it was them. Jesse and Ralf."

My eyes widened in shock. Seriously? They'd just stood there while Nathan attempted to rape me? I'd always had a feeling that Jesse and Ralf knew what had happened between Nathan and me since Jesse was carrying out messages for me from Nathan. But that they'd been there and let it all happen… That was just unbelievable. On the other hand, I shouldn't be so surprised.

"Yeah, they'll definitely protect him then," I muttered.

"Well, if we don't have enough proof we'll find more," Dimitri said determinedly.

I looked at him carefully. I realized then that he said 'we'. It made me smile a little. Once again, he was offering to help me.

"How are we going to do that?" I asked.

"There must be other victims," Dimitri mused. "He has definitely done this before. The drugs, people guarding the door so no one gets in… They didn't find his DNA so he was probably wearing gloves… If he was wearing them, I didn't notice. He knows exactly what to do to not get caught."

"Except that he did get caught this time," I said, looking at Dimitri.

He nodded. "Yes. He'll probably keep a low profile for now until he's sure you'll keep quiet."

"I don't know. He wasn't really keeping a low profile last night. He's just waiting until he finally gets me alone," I muttered.

"He won't get to be alone with you ever again," Dimitri said fiercely. "I'll make sure of that."

As his gaze pierced mine, I started to feel all warm inside. Clearing my throat, I looked away and said, "What about the other victims? How are we going to find them – if there are any?"

Dimitri sighed. "That's the one thing I don't know."

The look of determination faded from his eyes, then, so I quickly said, "We'll figure it out."

He nodded, though he looked unsure. "Yeah, we'll figure it out."

It was quiet for a while.

"Are you sure, though?"

Dimitri frowned. "What do you mean?"

I chewed on my bottom lip. "You said _we_. Does that mean you're going to help me?"

He almost looked offended. "Of course I'm going to help you."

It brought a tiny smile to my face. "It's just because you're already helping me with so much…"

"I'm helping you, Roza. Whether you like it or not," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

_Oh, I definitely like it_, I thought involuntarily.

"And you promise you won't go to the police? At least, not until we find more proof?" I asked him.

He was a little more reluctant this time, but then said, "I promise. I'll only go to the police if you want me to."

"Thank you," I said. I'd been saying that a lot to him lately, but it still felt like I hadn't said it enough.

"I'm going to take a shower now if you don't mind," Dimitri said, getting up. "I've got to open the gym in less than a half hour."

"Oh, I'll leave then," I said, getting up too.

"Nah, you can stay here if you want," Dimitri said, knowing that if I'd go home now I'd be alone again. "Make yourself at home."

I smiled. "Thanks."

I finished my breakfast while Dimitri went to take a shower. Afterwards, I started doing the dishes. I thought that was the least I could do after everything Dimitri had done for me. Twenty minutes later, Dimitri returned from the bathroom.

"I've put some fresh towels out in the bathroom if you want to take a shower," he said. An amused expression crossed his face when he saw what I was doing. "You're doing my dishes?"

I shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Um, yeah. Figured that was the least I could do."

He smiled. "Thanks, Roza, but you didn't have to do that. You're a guest here."

"It's no problem," I said, shrugging again.

"I've got to go downstairs now," Dimitri said, making his way to the door. "I'll see you later."

After doing the dishes, I went back to Dimitri's bedroom to retrieve my bag. I took it with me to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. It was so relaxing; I hadn't realized how much I needed that until I'd stepped inside the shower.

Once I'd gotten ready, I didn't really know what to do. I knew one thing, though, and that was that I didn't want to go home. Not yet. That's when I noticed the bookcase against the far wall in the living room. A devilish grin spread across my face. Maybe I could snoop around a little bit. After all, Dimitri had said to make myself at home.

I walked over to the bookcase and looked at the covers, carefully pulling them out one by one – I knew how attached Dimitri was to his books so I made sure not to drop any of them. Some of the books were written in Russian. From the covers, I could make out they were all westerns, though. Next, I took a look at his movie collection, which consisted of _more_ westerns. Why was I even surprised?

There were a couple of framed pictures on the wall. Most of them were of his family and there was one of him and Ivan too. There were none of his father, though, but considering his past I could understand why he didn't want any pictures of his father lingering around in his apartment.

When it was almost lunch time, I made my way downstairs. Walking through the narrow hallway, I opened the door that led to the gym's lobby. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, Tasha was by my side, her eyes wide in shock.

"You're not supposed to go in there!" she said scowling. "That's a private room. What were you doing there?"

I was a little taken aback by her tone. "Umm…"

"Tasha, it's fine," Dimitri said, stroding over to us.

"I'm so sorry, Dimka!" she said quickly, looking desperate. "I didn't know she went up to your apartment. I didn't see. I'm so sorry. Please don't be mad."

"Relax, Tasha. It's fine," he said. "I let Rose in. She's been in my apartment all morning. It's fine."

Tasha looked incredulous. "What? Why did you let her inside your apartment?"

"That's not really of your concern, is it?" Dimitri said, raising an eyebrow.

She flushed bright red. "I guess not," she said reluctantly. "I'm sorry."

Quickly, she scurried off, glancing over her shoulder a few times with a suspicious look on her face. I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting any more smiles from her from now on.

"You okay? Tasha can be a little…" He gave a little shrug and glanced at Tasha, who stood behind the front desk, a frown on her face. "You know what I mean, right?"

I nodded, hiding a smile. "I'm fine, comrade. She was just doing her job." Changing the subject, I asked, "Do you mind if I hang out here for a bit? I don't feel like going home yet."

Dimitri smiled. "Sure. You can stay here as long as you want."

"You sure?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't want to bother you."

His smile widened. "You could never bother me, Roza." Giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze, he said, "I've got to take care of some things, but if you need anything, I'll be in my office. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, comrade," I said happily.

He winked at me before retreating to his office. Smiling, I let out a dreamy sigh as I watched him leave and then turned around. My smile dropped when I saw Tasha glaring at me from behind the front desk. I quickly made my way to the bar, where Ivan was serving customers, and made sure to stay out of Tasha's way for the rest of the day.

**VPOV**

"God, this is such bullshit!" I groaned, pushing my books out of the way. "Math sucks big time!"

"Vika, don't swear like that!" Mama chastised, bustling around in the kitchen.

"Sorry," I muttered. "But these stupid equations are giving me a headache."

"Why don't you ask for help?" Mama said, walking over to me. "I bet Ivan could help you out. I remember he was great in math."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't known that.

"Yes. You should call him," Mama said. "I'm sure he'd love to help."

"I don't know," I said hesitantly. "I don't want to bother him."

She sighed, exasperated. "Just give him a call, Vika. It doesn't hurt to ask."

"Okay," I agreed at last.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket and dialed Ivan's number. He picked up on the first ring and my heart lifted when I heard his voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ivan," I said nervously. "It's Viktoria."

"Oh hey, Vika!" I was probably imagining it, but he sounded like he was happy to hear me. "What's up? Everything okay?"

"Um, yeah," I answered. "I was wondering… Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," he said. "Ask away."

"Can you help me out with my math?" I asked, feeling stupid. "I suck at it and Mama told me you're really good at it. Can you please help me?"

"It's been a while since I've had to do math, but I guess I could try and help you," he responded. "When do you want me to come over?"

"Um, now?" I asked, biting my lip. "If you're not busy, of course," I added quickly.

"No, now is fine. My shift just ended," he said. "Be there in ten minutes."

I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Ivan."

"No problem."

He disconnected. Ten minutes later, he was at the door.

"Thank you for coming," I said, letting him inside. "And I'm sorry for ruining your day. I wouldn't have bothered you if I had another option."

"It's fine, Vika," Ivan said smiling. "And you could never ruin my day," he added, winking, as he passed me.

I blushed furiously and followed Ivan to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Olena."

"Morning, Ivan," Mama responded with a smile. "Thank you for helping Vika out."

"Well, I hope I can help," Ivan said. "It's been a few years…"

"Vika, why don't you and Ivan go upstairs?" Mama said, looking at me. "You'll only get distracted here with me bustling around and your grandmother will be here soon, too."

I nodded, blushing again at the thought of having Ivan in my room. "Okay," I said, glancing at Ivan out of the corner of my eye.

We went up to my room and I pulled up another chair to my desk. I avoided looking at Ivan the whole time. I'd wished for Ivan to be in my room a thousand times, but now that he was actually here, I was too shy to say something.

"Okay, tell me what your problem is with math," Ivan said, flashing me a grin. "I'll try and help you as best as I can."

"These equations," I said, pushing my notebook towards him. "I don't understand them."

"Alright, let's take a look," Ivan said, studying the equations. His face brightened after a few minutes and he said, "Okay, I think I can help you out."

He started explaining and I listened carefully. I never thought of Ivan as a math nerd, but apparently he was. He needed to explain several times more, but he didn't mind. He was very patient, which I was grateful for.

"There you go, the left side equals the right side of the equation! You've found your answer!" Ivan said grinning proudly when I finished one of the equations.

"Only because you are helping me," I said, smiling reluctantly.

"Nah, you can do it," he said. "You just need to focus." He leaned forward and tapped his finger against my temple. "It's not that hard."

_How in the hell can I focus when you're sitting so close next to me?_ I thought.

"It's not hard for you because you're a math geek," I said jokingly.

"I'm not. I'm just good at it," he said with a shrug, grinning again.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"Hey, you should be a bit more respectful. I'm the only one who can help you out after all," he said, nudging me with his shoulder. I knew he was only teasing me, but it still made me blush.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I picked it up from the desk and read the text from my friend Meredith. _You still coming to the party tonight?_

"You going to a party?" Ivan asked.

I turned around in my seat and looked at him. "You read over my shoulder?!"

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. Then he frowned. "I thought your mother said you couldn't go out anymore until that bastard who tried to rape Rose is caught?"

"Umm yeah, but…"

Ivan gave me a stern look. "Were you planning on leaving in the middle of the night without your mother knowing?"

I looked away guiltily. "Maybe…"

"Vika, you can't do that," he chastised.

"It's just one party, Ivan," I said. "And I'll stay away from strangers. I won't-"

"You really shouldn't go," Ivan said frowning.

"Why not?"

"Because…you shouldn't," Ivan said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "If your mother finds out… And don't get me started on Dimitri. You know how worried your brother will be-"

"They don't need to know," I cut him off. "And they won't find out if you don't tell them."

"Viktoria, you can't go to that party," he said sighing. "It's not safe. Not with that guy still out there."

"But-"

"Viktoria, please," he said. To my surprise, he reached out for my hand and looked at me pleadingly. "I don't want you to go."

That statement surprised me even more and caused butterflies to explode in my stomach. Ivan didn't want me to go.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt," he answered, squeezing my hand. "Can you imagine how your mother would feel if something happened to you? And Dimitri? And… How I would feel?"

I took a sharp intake of breath. "Would you really care if something happened to me?" I asked quietly.

"Of course," he said, almost outraged. "You're my…" He sighed, shaking his head. "You're my best friend's little sister. I don't want you to get hurt."

I looked down at my phone. Not the answer I'd hoped for, but it was better than nothing, right? "Fine," I said at last. "I'll tell her I won't come."

Ivan looked relieved at that. "Promise me?"

"I promise," I said, looking back up at him.

He smiled. "Good. I'm glad."

I huffed. "I was actually looking forward to it. I'm tired of sitting here all night in my room. I don't want to be cooped up inside the house the rest of my youth because of some creep-"

"It's for your own good," Ivan said. "And maybe if I was sure – I mean, if your brother's sure that your friends are trustworthy…"

"They are!" I said, offended.

"Maybe," Ivan acquiesced, "but will they be able to protect you if something happens? All they care about is getting drunk and have the time of their lives at these parties. What if you got hurt and they're too out of it to help you? Look what happened to Rose… Her friends were there, too, but none of them were there to help her. They don't even know what has happened."

"I guess you're right," I said reluctantly.

He squeezed my hand again. "How about I take you out sometime? We can go see a movie or whatever you want to do. That way you can get out of the house without there being a chance of you getting hurt. Because I'll be there to protect you." He flashed me another grin. "How does that sound?"

_Oh my God, seeing a movie with Ivan? That sounds way better than a stupid party. It's almost like a date!_

"Alright," I said, trying hard to sound normal and not too excited. "I guess I could go to the movies with you. Anything to get out of the house. Even if it means I have to hang out with you," I said, looking at him with a grin on my face.

"Hey!" Ivan said with mock offense. "If I were you I'd be careful about what you say or else I'm not taking you anywhere."

I laughed and his grin returned. He nudged my shoulder again and I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and hugging him.

"Thank you," I said softly.

I felt him hesitate, but then he wrapped his arms around me. "You're welcome, Vika," he murmured.

I smiled into his shoulder, happy to be in his arms. Even if it was only for a minute. After a while, Ivan cleared his throat and he pulled away.

"We should probably continue with your equations, don't you think?" he said, offering me a small smile.

I nodded, looking away so he wouldn't see the blush creeping up my cheeks. "Yeah, we should."

I couldn't keep the grin off of my face for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><strong>Dimitri and Rose are getting closer and closer. Yay! Please let me know what you think of the chapter. I certainly hope you liked it! :) <strong>

**Enjoy the rest of your weekend ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 10<strong>

**RPOV**

The first thing I did when I arrived at school on Monday was trying to find Lissa. I'd been calling her all weekend, but she'd ignored my calls every time. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. She had every right to be angry with me after the way I left at our sleepover.

I found her at her locker. She was talking to Adrian. As soon as she caught sight of me, her face clouded with anger and she slammed her locker shut, turning away from me. Adrian looked up and his smile faltered. I think he realized that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Hey Liss," I said carefully as I approached her. "Can we talk? Please?"

She huffed. "I don't see why we have to talk."

Adrian cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "I should go." He walked past me, whispering in my ear, "Good luck, Rose."

I offered him a smile and then looked at Lissa. She was still not looking at me and clearly wanted to be someplace else.

"I called you a few times this weekend," I started hesitantly.

"I know," she snapped. "I didn't feel like talking, though."

I sighed and looked down, ashamed. "I'm really sorry, Lissa. I didn't mean to leave like that, but-"

"But you did it anyway!" she cut me off, looking at me angry and hurt. "Why? We were supposed to have a sleepover and then you just decide to leave in the middle of the night! If you'd told me why, I might've been able to understand, but now…" She shook her head. "It's like you just didn't want to stay over! You bailed on me."

"I swear, that's not true," I said, looking at her pleadingly. "I just… I-"

She looked annoyed. "Please don't make any excuses."

"I was feeling uncomfortable with Nathan there," I explained. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. "He…he makes me feel uncomfortable and I… I just thought it would be better if I left."

Lissa frowned. "That's bullshit, Rose. Why would Nathan make you feel uncomfortable? He didn't do anything."

"He was bothering me," I said. "I asked him to leave me alone, but he didn't."

"Andre said he was just flirting with you or whatever," Lissa said. "The guy likes you and you just run off. And even if he was really bothering you, you could've just come back to my room and stayed there. No way Andre would have let him go to my room."

"I guess not, but still…"

Lissa let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm not in the mood for this. I tried to restore our friendship – or what's left of it – but it's clear you don't want this as much as I do. Otherwise you wouldn't make up these lame excuses."

I looked at her, shocked. "But Lissa-"

"I'm late for class," she cut me off before turning around and leaving in a hurry.

I stood there frozen for a moment, not knowing what to do. Before I could do something – like stop her – someone tapped my shoulder.

"You okay?" Viktoria asked, looking concerned.

"Um, yeah," I muttered, glancing over my shoulder at Lissa. She'd just disappeared around the corner. "So…how are you?" I asked, changing the subject.

She grinned. "I'm good. I got to hang out with Ivan this weekend."

I arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

If possible, her grin grew wider. "Yeah, he came over to help me with my homework. I suck at math and he happens to be good in it."

"Oh, wow, good for you. Maybe next time he can help you with biology," I teased. I wiggled my eyebrows, causing Viktoria to giggle. She nudged me with her elbow and I nudged her back. "What?" I said. "As if you wouldn't like that."

A blush crept onto her face. "Shut up," she muttered, smiling reluctantly.

"See you later, Viktoria," I said before we parted ways, to each of our classes.

**DPOV**

I smiled when I saw Rose sitting at the bar, chatting with Ivan. She was early today. I bet she was eager to get started since we hadn't done much practice during the weekend.

"You're early," I noted as I stopped beside her. She jumped a little, surprised, but then looked up at me and smiled. "I'm starting to wonder if you're coming here for lessons or just for me," I teased.

_What the hell did I just say?_ I knew I looked calm and sure on the outside, but on the inside I was mortified. Why the hell did I say that? What was wrong with me? Who knows what she must be thinking of me right now…

I felt Ivan's gaze on me, a funny look on his face. He was probably thinking the same right now.

"Ha!" she said with a grin. "The only thing I want from you is your fighting skills." She grabbed me by the arm – I couldn't help but feel a strange fluttering in my stomach as she did so – and started pulling me away from the bar. "Come on, comrade. No time to lose."

We walked past the main gym and went into one of the smaller rooms, where I usually held the self-defense classes. Grabbing the mats, I dragged them out to the middle of the room while Rose did some stretches. When I glanced over at her, she was bending down and touching her toes, giving me a good view of her perfect ass. I forced myself to look away and shut my eyes, groaning internally. _What the hell am I thinking? I should not think like that about Rose. It's wrong. So, so wrong._

I couldn't help it, though. I'd always thought Rose was very attractive, but, lately, I'd been thinking more and more about her – and it had nothing to do with my concern for her. Sure, I was still worried about her and wanted her to be safe. But I'd started thinking about other things, too.

Like the way she'd smile at me and how warm it made me feel inside, the weird fluttering feeling she gave me whenever she touched me and how happy I was to see her every time she walked into the gym. It was practically the highlight of my day. I was even starting to like the stupid nickname she'd given me.

I realized I was crushing on her and the more time I spent with her, the stronger my feelings for her became. I knew it was wrong – I mean, she was seventeen, a _minor_ – but I couldn't help the way I felt about her. I felt so stupid; I was twenty-four years old and I had a crush. Crushes were something for teenagers, not for grown men.

I'd told myself so many times now that the crush would go away, but after what happened last Friday night, I knew it wouldn't go away so easily. When she'd called me in the middle of the night this past Friday, nearly crying, I'd been so scared that Nathan had hurt her. Honestly, I don't think I'd ever been so scared in my life before.

When she'd told me she'd gotten away just in time, I'd felt _so_ relieved. But also angry. Not at her, but at Nathan. I was so angry at him for what he'd done to her. She couldn't even sleep without having nightmares. I swear, if I'd ever see that guy again, I would strangle him. The urge to protect and take care of Rose was so strong, I feared that soon she would notice my feelings for her and that was the last thing I wanted.

"Hey comrade!" Rose exclaimed, punching my arm lightly. "Wake up!"

I snapped out of my reverie and looked down at Rose.

"You okay?" she asked. "You seem distracted."

"I'm fine," I said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Biting her lip, she looked at me and then, tentatively, she reached out with her hand and touched my cheek. I took a sharp intake of breath and stared at her, wide-eyed.

"It looks a lot better," she said. "Does it still hurt?"

"No," I answered, reveling in her touch. _Wrong. So wrong._ "It doesn't hurt at all. Never did."

She smirked. "Tough guy, huh?"

I flashed her a grin. At last, she pulled her hand away and I suppressed a sigh. Turning around, she walked over to the mats and motioned for me to come over.

"Let's start," she said excitedly.

I smiled reluctantly and joined her on the mats. I taught her some takedown moves today. She mastered them within the hour and I couldn't help but feel proud. She was doing a really good job. I knew she still felt unsure about herself, which explained why she froze when Nathan tried to hurt her again. She needed her confidence back, but that would take time. If I could make her see how good she was at this, she wouldn't doubt herself anymore next time Nathan came around. But, honestly, I hoped there would never be another confrontation between the two of them. And if that was not the case, if he did show up again, then I hoped I was there so_ I_ could teach him a lesson.

Next, I taught her how she could escape after being pinned down to the ground. This part was excruciating for me because of how close we were to each other right now, our bodies nearly touching. I tried not to think too much about it.

Rose struggled to get free as I pinned her down to the floor, making sure to keep the most of my weight off of her. She cursed a couple of times until she finally gave up.

"This is so unfair!" she complained. "You're freakishly strong and I'm just-"

"Rose, you're not thinking," I said, trying to hide a smile. She scowled at me and this time, the smile broke out on my face. I sat back on my heels and pulled her up with me. "We've been practicing for hours. We should probably stop now."

"What? You're not going to tell me how I was supposed to break free from you?" she said, almost outraged.

"I will show you tomorrow," I answered. "We've done enough for today."

She grumbled something under her breath as she followed me out. When we reached the women's lockers, I turned around and looked at her.

"You did a good job today, Rose," I said.

Slowly, the frown was replaced by a reluctant smile. "Well, at least one of us thinks I did a good job."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," I said, giving her a little nudge. "You're doing great and you get better and better every day."

"Thanks, comrade," she said, looking pleased to hear that. She tugged at the tie in her hair and let her hair cascade down her shoulders, combing her fingers through the curls. My eyes widened slightly at the sight of it and I quickly looked away before she caught me staring at her. "I'm going to take a shower. See you in a bit."

I nodded and turned around, making my way to the bar, where Ivan stood behind it. When he saw me, he started grinning.

"So how was the training with Rose?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Did you have fun?"

I glared at him. "Shut up."

Ivan smirked. "I know you like her. Tasha told me about Saturday morning. That Rose came downstairs from your apartment and that you were like, 'oh yeah, it's completely normal she's up there'."

I thought back to that day, how I'd woken up next to her, my arm wrapped around her. I must've done it unconsciously. I was glad the whole situation hadn't been too awkward. Rose hadn't acted differently so I hadn't either.

"What was she doing up there anyway?" Ivan asked, curious.

"She has nightmares since she got assaulted and her parents are not at home most of the time. She didn't feel safe staying alone at night so I let her sleep in my apartment," I lied. I knew Rose wouldn't want me to tell Ivan what had happened and I understood that. And it wasn't like all of it were lies. Rose _did_ have nightmares since that night and I knew she didn't like to stay home alone anymore.

"Oh." He sighed. "Poor girl. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now."

I nodded. "Yeah…"

"What's with the bruise?" Ivan suddenly asked. "I've been meaning to ask, but I forgot."

"Oh. Um, Rose had a nightmare and she might have hit me when I tried to wake her up," I admitted reluctantly.

Ivan started laughing. "Seriously?"

"Of course you'd think that's funny," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

He sobered up. "I still think you like her, you know."

I opened my mouth to say something, but just then a costumer came for a bottle of water so I shut up and waited until we were alone again.

"I do not like her!" I said vehemently, trying to convince both him and myself.

"Oh no, because you always flirt with women you don't like," he said sarcastically, giving me a knowing look.

I scowled. "I wasn't flirting with her."

Ivan arched an eyebrow. "No?" he challenged.

"No," I retorted. "Don't be ridiculous. She's seventeen – a minor. I wouldn't – I don't like her," I stammered, realizing I was only making this worse. I sighed and slumped against the bar. "I _can't_ like her."

"Well, you can't help who you're falling for," Ivan said with a shrug.

"Didn't you just hear what I said?" I said. "She's a minor."

"She's seventeen, Dimka," Ivan said. "She'll be an adult soon."

"It doesn't matter," I said dismissively. "Even if I did like her – and I _don't_ – I'm still seven years older than her. And after what she's just been through, with that Nathan guy…" I shook my head and sighed. "I don't want her to think I'm some kind of creep. Like Nathan."

Ivan looked outraged. "You're nothing like him! And after everything you've done for Rose, I'm pretty sure she knows that too. And honestly? If the looks she's giving you are anything to go by, she likes you too."

I wanted to be hopeful, I wanted to believe that was true, but I couldn't. "I'm just a friend to her," I told him. "And that's fine. Nothing can happen between us anyway."

"Why? Because she is seventeen?" Ivan questioned. I nodded and he let out an exasperated sigh. "What does age matter if you want to be with-"

Just then, I noticed Tasha coming our way. "Shut up!" I said quickly before she could hear anything. The last thing I wanted was for Tasha to know that I had a crush on Rose. "Talk about something else."

"About what?"

"I don't care. Tell a joke or something," I said quickly. "Before she starts to get suspicious."

"I can't come up with – oh, hey Tasha," Ivan said, faking a smile. "What's up?"

"Hey," Tasha said, returning his smile. Then she turned to me. "My shift is over right now, but I was wondering… Since it's almost dinner time…" My eyes widened, realizing where she was going with this. "Would you like to have dinner with me? There's this new restaurant and I thought we could check it out."

"Um," I said, panicking. What was I going to say? I didn't want to have dinner with her. Don't get me wrong, Tasha was a nice woman when she wanted to be, but I just didn't like her that way. I'd been giving hints already that the feeling wasn't mutual, but she just wouldn't give up. "I… I-"

"I'm afraid Dimitri's not available tonight," Ivan interrupted. "He's already got plans."

Tasha scowled. "Oh?"

"Yeah. With me," Ivan replied. "Guy's night out, you know."

She nodded in understanding. "Oh, okay." She smiled again, though it seemed a little fake. "Maybe some other time, then. Good night, Dimka," she said, squeezing my arm gently before leaving.

I hated it when she called me Dimka. Only my family and Ivan called me by my nickname, but she picked up on it and now she kept saying it too. It was annoying.

"Yeah, good night to you too, Tasha," Ivan muttered, rolling his eyes.

I let out a sigh of relief when she was gone. "Thanks, Ivan."

"You got to tell her you don't like her, Dimka. Seriously, that woman is not going to leave you alone if you don't tell her," Ivan said fiercely.

"I already told her so many times!"

"No, you hinted at it. You never actually said the words," Ivan argued.

"Fine, that's true," I admitted, "but she must know by now that I don't like her that way. How many times have I rejected her? It's like she doesn't want to realize that I don't want her."

"Tell her you're not into older women. Tell her you like younger women," Ivan said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Like Rose."

Tasha was only a few years older than me, but that wasn't why I didn't like her. She was just so clingy and fake. I could be around her for half an hour before she'd start to annoy me.

I scowled at Ivan. "I don't want to hurt her feelings, Ivan."

"Then fire her!" Ivan suggested.

"I can't do that either. She's doing a good job here. I can't fire her because I don't like her back."

"Well, you could fire her for not being professional," he responded with a shrug.

"Then I should fire myself, too, because I'm not being professional either with Rose."

Ivan laughed. "You can't fire yourself. You're the boss. And hey, it's a whole different situation with Rose. She's more than just a random costumer. She's your friend."

I sighed. "I know."

Just then, I caught sight of Rose walking towards us, a smile on her face. I lit up as soon as I saw her and smiled. Her hair was damp and her cheeks flushed from showering. She'd changed back into her jeans and a red top, her leather jacket thrown over her arm. She looked absolutely gorgeous. I felt Ivan's gaze on me again so I forced my eyes away from Rose.

"Well, I'm going home," Rose announced. "Just wanted to come and say goodnight to you guys before I leave."

"You want me to drive you home?" I asked. "It's already getting dark."

"No, that's okay," Rose said. "Don't trouble yourself. I'll be fine."

I frowned a little. "Will you text me when you get home? So I'll know you're okay."

She smiled again. "Sure."

"Thanks, Roza," I said, smiling back.

"Good night, then," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Roza," I called after her as I watched her walking to the exit. When she was gone, I turned back to Ivan.

He chuckled. "Oh, Dimka. You're a terrible liar."

"What do you mean?" I asked frowning.

"It's so painfully obvious you like Rose. You can deny it all you want, but I can see right through your little façade."

"Great," I muttered sarcastically.

The last thing I wanted was for it to be obvious that I was crushing on Rose. It seemed like I was going to have to do a better job at keeping my feelings in check.

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><p><strong>Will Dimitri listen to Ivan this time and tell Rose about his feelings for her or is he going to keep hiding it from her? I know you guys want them to kiss already and I promise, it'll happen soon! ^^ <strong>

**I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of it :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 11<strong>

**RPOV**

Exhausted, I trudged to the front door. I'd had another practice with Dimitri today. It had gone well, but I was feeling sore and so, so tired. I couldn't wait to plop down onto the couch and watch a movie, doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the evening. But, unfortunately, there was still homework to do. Thankfully, I'd already done a part of it at the gym.

Recently, I'd been spending more and more time over there. And when I had homework, Dimitri let me work on it in his office or in his apartment. He would hang out with me whenever he could, which wasn't often, because running a gym took up a lot of his time. Sometimes we'd sit together in a comfortable silence in his office, me working on some math exercises and him going through his accounts. I enjoyed these little moments just as much as the moments we spent practicing. I just enjoyed _every_ moment with Dimitri – so much so that I wouldn't mind being in the gym all day long if it meant I could see him more often.

_Ugh, stop thinking about Dimitri for a sec!_ Lately, he was the only thing I could think about and it was really starting to annoy me. I didn't want to like Dimitri – at least not in that way – because I knew he'd never return my feelings. So I knew I had to get him out of my head, but that was easier said than done. The more I tried to stop thinking about him, the more I thought about him. It was infuriating.

"Hey!"

I stopped when I heard that voice and turned around, surprised to see Christian standing on my lawn. I looked at him warily as he approached me and stopped right in front of me.

"Hey," I said, not sure what he was doing here.

He was my neighbor, but in all those years we'd lived next to each other, he'd never come to my house. Usually, if he wanted to annoy me, he'd open the window in his bedroom and start throwing wads of paper through my open window. Or he'd blast loud music when I was napping.

"Are you and Lissa fighting?" he asked bluntly.

"I don't know. I guess." I shrugged. "She's mad at me."

He frowned. "I figured. Whenever I mention you, she gets snappy."

I looked at him, confused. "Why would you mention me?"

"You're Lissa's best friend and you haven't been hanging out with her since the sleepover at her house. Did something happen?"

I sighed. "Why don't you ask your girlfriend?"

"Didn't you hear me? I asked her several times, but she gets angry every time I mention you. So I figured I'd ask you…"

"I left in the middle of the night during our sleepover," I told him. Before he could ask me why, I added, "But I can't tell you why. It's complicated."

He studied me for a moment, his icy blue eyes piercing mine, before nodding. "Okay. And you can't explain to Lissa either and that's why she's mad at you, isn't she?"

I nodded.

"Does it have anything to do with where you disappear to after school?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

The question startled me. "What – what are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You used to get home before I did, but now you get home hours after school. Where do you go to?"

I looked at him, outraged. "Are you spying on me?"

Christian gave me a dry look. "Rose, we're neighbors. It's not that hard to notice that you're not coming home straight after school."

I scowled at him. "It's none of your business where I go to after school, Christian."

He shrugged a little. "Fair enough. I was just wondering if it had anything to do with your fight with Lissa."

"No," I replied stiffly.

Christian hesitated, but then asked, "You're not in trouble, right?"

I looked at him, astonished. What the hell was this? Was Christian worried about me? _Me?_ Wasn't he supposed to hate my guts?

"No, I'm not in trouble," I answered quietly.

He looked relieved. "Okay. But if you were," he added, "you'd tell someone, right?"

"Are you telling me I should tell you if I were to be in trouble?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"No," he said quickly. Then he reconsidered. "Well, you could…tell me. If you wanted to. But you can tell someone else, of course. Like Lissa."

"I don't think Lissa is an option anymore. Since she's pissed at me," I said sighing.

"Then make it right," Christian said. "Tell her you're sorry."

"I already did. So many times," I told him. "But she won't forgive me."

Christian sighed. "She's just being stubborn. Don't worry, when her anger fades, she'll come to you."

"I hope so," I muttered.

"She misses you, you know," he said. "She's just too angry right now to admit it."

I smiled sadly. "Yeah, I miss her too. Can you tell her that?" I asked. "That I miss her?"

He nodded. "I will."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

An awkward silence fell as we stood there, not looking at each other. At last, Christian cleared his throat and said, "Well, I should go. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yeah, bye," I said as he turned around and walked back to his house.

He glanced at me one last time before slipping inside. I stood there for a while, thinking about what Christian had said, and then turned around with a sigh before going inside my house. Maybe Christian wasn't so bad after all. Not that I was ever going to admit that to anyone – especially not to him.

Days passed and Lissa still hadn't approached me. I knew Christian had given her my message, but she was just too stubborn to come and talk to me. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she would pretend to be busy and leave so, after a while, I gave up.

Because of my fallout with Lissa, I couldn't hang out with Adrian either – at least not when Lissa was around. I'd noticed that she was hanging out more and more with a girl named Avery, another popular girl that had been her rival once. Together they made the perfect team. Every girl wanted to be friends with them and tried to get in their good graces.

Most of those girls had stopped talking to me. I'd once been popular, but only because I was Lissa's best friend. Now it seemed like everyone knew that Lissa was angry with me, so they'd all stopped their nice act and just ignored me.

Honestly, that was fine with me. I'd never wanted to be popular; I'd just wanted to be friends with Lissa. Now it seemed like that friendship was over, however. And I knew it was my fault. I should've told her truth, I know, but I was just too ashamed to tell her. And I wanted to protect her, too. Nathan didn't want me to tell anyone. If I told Lissa and if he ever found out – which was likely since he was friends with Andre… No, I couldn't tell her even if I wanted to. I didn't want to get her in trouble, too.

I snapped out of my reverie when my phone started buzzing in my jeans pocket. I pulled it out and saw to my surprise that Andre was calling me.

"Hey," I greeted him. "What's up?"

"Hey Rose," he answered. "Where are you? I'm at your house, but you're not here yet. I was hoping we could talk."

I frowned, confused. Why would he want to talk to me?

"Um, I don't think I can talk right now," I said hesitantly. I was on my way to the gym for my practice with Dimitri.

"What do you mean? School just finished, right?" When I didn't reply right away, Andre continued, "Please, Rose. I really need to talk to you. It's urgent."

I glanced down at my watch and then sighed. "Fine. I'll be right there."

I disconnected and hurried home, hoping this talk with Andre wouldn't take too long. I was kind of curious, though, why he'd want to talk to me. Was it about Lissa?

When I arrived, Andre was leaning against the hood of his car. When he saw me, he pushed himself away from the car and walked over to me.

"Hey," he said, giving me a smile. "It's good to see you, Rose."

"Hey Andre," I said, returning his smile. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in college right now?"

"I don't have classes today," he said with a shrug.

"Okay. So what do you want to talk about?" I asked him.

Andre sat down on the curb and patted the spot next to him. I sat down and waited for him to tell me why he'd come all the way over here so he could talk to me.

"You haven't come over to our house anymore," Andre said after a few moments. "Why?"

So that's what this was about.

"Oh, um…" I bit my lip. "Well, Lissa's mad at me."

"I know," he said softly. "Because you ran off that night."

I nodded. "Yeah…" I looked up at him and sighed. "I'm really sorry about that, but I just…couldn't stay."

"Because of Nathan?" Andre asked.

I didn't reply.

"I don't know what he said or did, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for whatever it is that happened," Andre said, taking my hand in his and squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry, Rose. I shouldn't have let him stay. I know what he's like and-"

_No, you_ _don't,_ I thought._ You don't know what he's like at all._

"It's okay, Andre," I interrupted gently. "It wasn't your fault. I was just feeling uncomfortable with Nathan around. I don't know why," I lied.

"He must've done something more than making you uncomfortable if it made you run for the hills," Andre said carefully as he studied my face.

I sighed, starting to get annoyed by all these questions I couldn't possibly answer. "Look, I just don't trust the guy. Like you told me, he's just a player and I want to stay away from him."

"You already knew him, didn't you?"

I stiffened. "W-what?"

"When I introduced him to you," Andre said. "The way he acted and then you… You couldn't get away fast enough." _Oh shit._ "How do you know him?"

I shrugged. "Just from some party." I sighed and got up, crossing my arms. "What's the big deal anyway? I thought you were here to talk about Lissa, not Nathan."

Andre got up, too. "I just wanted to see if you're okay," he said quickly. "You were really upset that night and since Lissa is not talking to you… I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you want to…you know…talk about…things…or whatever," he stammered, looking uncomfortable.

I looked at him and he averted his eyes, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," I said at last. "I didn't mean to snap at you. But, really, you don't have to worry. I just don't like Nathan and I don't trust him."

Andre sighed. "Okay."

Silence fell.

"You know, it's not because Lissa doesn't want to see you right now that you can't come over anymore," he said quietly after a few moments had passed. His eyes met mine and he bit his lip. "I know we're not as close, but we're still friends, right?"

I smiled at him. "Right."

"And Liss will come around soon enough," Andre assured me. "You'll see. She's just stubborn."

"I guess." My smile faltered a little, but then I forced it back onto my face. "Well, thank you, Andre. I really appreciate you coming to talk to me, make sure I'm okay…"

"You're welcome, Rose," he murmured.

Andre bit his lip, hesitating, but then stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened at first, but then remembered that this was Andre. He wouldn't hurt me. Ever. So, carefully, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back.

"You're the best, Andre," I said softly.

His arms tightened around me. "Nah. You are, Hathaway," he teased.

I smiled. I was very lucky with a friend like Andre. He was like a big brother to me. I now knew that, even if Lissa decided to never talk to me again, I would never lose him.

**DPOV**

"I'm going to go and find her."

I'd been waiting for Rose for half an hour now and she still hadn't shown up. This was very unlike her and it made me wonder if something might've happened. She'd promised me she would call me if something was wrong, but what if she hadn't had the time to call me? What if someone had taken her phone – say, like, Nathan? What if he was with her right now while I was wasting my time waiting around?

"Dude, relax," Ivan said as he followed me to my office. "She probably got held up somewhere. Don't worry, she'll be here before you know it."

I turned around. "She's half an hour late! Rose is never late. Something must've happened!"

"What do you care? That girl isn't your responsibility," Tasha muttered, a scowl on her face.

I ignored her and looked at Ivan. "Maybe you're right, maybe she is fine, but what if she's not? I can't take the risk."

Ivan sighed. "Alright. You go find Rose and I'll stay here until you get back."

"Thank you," I said gratefully before grabbing my car keys and leaving.

Once again, I failed at keeping my feelings in check. It seemed like there was no way I could act professional and be objective when it came to Rose. No wonder Ivan had found out how I felt about her and I didn't doubt that Tasha had figured it out too by now.

Anxious, I drove around town. First, I went to her school, but there was no sign of her there. Next, I went to her house. As I approached, I saw two figures standing in front of her house, hugging. I frowned when I saw one of them was Rose and the other…was a boy.

A boy.

My heart nearly stopped as I watched them. I felt a spark of jealousy as I saw the boy tighten his arms around Rose. Quickly, I glanced away from the intimate scene.

Sighing, I stopped the car a few feet away and slumped back against the seat. I felt really stupid, then, for thinking something had happened to Rose while she was hanging out with this guy here. Ivan had been right. I'd overreacted. I couldn't think straight when it came to Rose. All because of my infatuation with her – which seemed more stupid than ever, really.

It was clear she didn't feel the same way about me. I wondered if the boy was her boyfriend. She never mentioned a boyfriend, though. And if this guy really was her boyfriend then why hadn't she told me about him? Then why hadn't she told _him_ about Nathan?

Just then, Rose looked up and noticed me. _Shit._ Now I looked like a stalker. I faked a smile and she smiled back at me before she pulled away from the boy. She said something to him and he nodded, then stepped inside his car and drove off. Rose slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked over to my car.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked as she got inside.

"You were late. I thought something might've happened," I answered, not looking at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"Oh no, it's fine. I was on my way to you when Andre called me," Rose explained. "He wanted to talk to me and since he came all the way over from college…" I saw her looking at me from the corner of my eye. "I'm sorry. I should've called you."

"No, it's okay," I said quietly. "I guess I overreacted a little. I should've know you would have called me if something had happened."

"Well, I think it's sweet you came to see if I was alright. Thanks."

I glanced up at her to see her smile at me. Slowly, a small smile of my own spread across my lips. But it disappeared quickly when I thought about the boy again. _Why am I so jealous?_

"So, um, does your boyfriend know about the self-defense lessons I'm giving you?" I asked, trying to appear casual even though my hands were gripping the steering wheel as if my life depended on it. I wondered what he thought about Rose spending so much time with me.

"My boyfriend?" Rose said, looking confused. "What – do you mean Andre?" I looked at her and nodded. "Oh no, he's not my boyfriend!" she said quickly, flushing bright red. "He's just a friend. He's not… I don't like him like that."

Relief flooded through me and I suddenly felt a lot better.

"He isn't?" I said, trying not to sound too hopeful. Ugh, what had happened to me? What had this girl done to me? "I thought… I don't know, it just seemed like-"

"No, no. We're just friends. He's Lissa's older brother and I've known him for years."

"Oh. Okay," I said with a nod, relaxing. An awkward silence fell. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I was just wondering…"

"No, it's okay," Rose said, waving my apologies away. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Shouldn't we go now? I mean, it's getting late…"

"Right," I said, shaking my head to clear it. "Right. Let's go."

When we arrived at the gym, Rose went straight to the lockers. I saw Ivan looking at me so I walked over to him, knowing he'd want to know what had happened.

"So, where was she?" Ivan asked.

"At home. Talking to some boy," I muttered.

Ivan raised his eyebrows, then grinned. "Oh, you must not have liked that."

I glared at him and he shrugged.

"You were right," I said with a sigh. "I overreacted."

"Yeah, you did," Ivan agreed, "but the only reason you overreacted is because you care so much about Rose."

I let out another sigh. "I guess, but I've got to stop acting like this."

"Acting like what? You're just being protective, which is normal after what happened to her," Ivan said calmly.

"When I saw her with that boy, I got jealous," I admitted.

Ivan looked at me in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," I said, my face darkening.

Normally, I didn't get jealous. I'd had girlfriends before who had close male friends and I hadn't cared about it at all. Rose wasn't even my girlfriend and I got jealous when she was hugging a _friend_. Okay, I might not have known he was just a friend, but still… I had no right to get jealous. I was just her friend.

"Whoa," Ivan said, shocked. "You're in too deep, man."

_Tell me about it._

"I've got to go," I said sighing. "Rose is waiting for me."

"Well, good luck," Ivan said with a smirk. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."

I shot him a glare before turning around and leaving to find Rose. I realized I was going to have to do something before this ridiculous infatuation turned into something more. But something in the back of my head told me it was too late for that – that it already was something more.

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><p><strong>Oooh, Dimitri is jealous! What now? Who wants a Romitri kiss next chapter? ;)<strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know if you liked this chapter. Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! :)**

**Vamp Girl (Guest): Hey, don't worry. I appreciate your review just as much as the others. To be honest, I agree with you. I know it's not the same like my other stories, but, right now, I have a lot going on in my life but I'm doing the best I can and trying to update as fast as possible. Sometimes I forget to reread my chapters before I post it and then things like that happen. So I'm sorry for any inconvenience. Hope you can understand :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 12<strong>

**RPOV**

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to have a sleepover this weekend?" Viktoria asked as she fell into step beside me. "You told me both of your parents will be at work and I know that you don't like to spend the nights alone…" She looked at me hesitantly, biting her lower lip.

I gave her a smile. "You know, that would be nice. Thank you."

Viktoria grinned. "Cool. Your place or my place?"

"Um, whichever you want," I said with a shrug.

"Well, my mother would love to see you again so how about you come to my house?" she suggested.

"Okay," I agreed. "Sounds good."

"I'd invite Eddie, too, but he's a guy so he's not allowed to come," she said, pouting.

I laughed. "And, honestly, I don't think that's Eddie's thing."

She grinned again. "I guess not."

"Besides, wouldn't you rather invite Ivan?" I teased, nudging her with my elbow.

Viktoria elbowed me back, glaring at me playfully. We found an empty lunch table in the corner of the cafeteria. Eddie joined us soon afterwards. Suddenly, I saw Lissa coming into my direction, followed by Christian and Adrian. I straightened my back and offered her a smile, but she walked right past me, ignoring me completely. Christian offered me a small smile as he passed. I stared at them, shocked. Christian acknowledged me and even smiled at me – _Christian_, for God's sake – while Lissa couldn't bring herself to look at me. In what kind of world was I living?

Adrian said something to Lissa, then. I couldn't understand what, but it couldn't be anything good because Lissa huffed and kept walking. I heard Adrian sigh and then he walked back to our table, plopping down his lunch tray before he took a seat next to me.

"Hey," he said casually. "Mind if I join you?"

Eddie and Viktoria stared at him, both of them surprised.

"Aren't you going to sit with Lissa?" I asked.

"Why do I always have to sit with Lissa?" he said. "You're my friend, too, and I want to sit with you today."

That made me smile. "Thanks, Adrian."

"You're welcome," he said. He nodded at Eddie. "Hey, how've you been?"

"I'm good," Eddie replied politely. "You?"

"Just fine," Adrian said, grinning lazily. He glanced over at Viktoria, who was sitting next to Eddie. "I don't think we've met before. I'm sure I would've remembered a beautiful face like yours."

"Her name's Viktoria," I said, giving him a warning look. "She's my friend."

"It's nice to meet you, Viktoria," Adrian said, ignoring my glare, and threw a flirty smile in her direction. "I'm Adrian."

"Yeah, I already knew that," Viktoria said, unimpressed.

I hid a smile. I guess Adrian's charm didn't work on her. _Good for her_, I thought. Adrian's ego was already big enough. He didn't need another girl swooning over him.

Adrian just grinned. "I like you."

Viktoria snorted before she turned her focus on her food.

"So, Lissa is still mad at me?" I asked Adrian.

He grimaced. "Yeah… Sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault," I said. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lissa sitting a few tables away from us with Christian and Avery. The girls were chatting happily while Christian sat there with a sour expression on his face. _Ha, now he knows what it feels like to be me when he and Liss are constantly making out when I'm there,_ I thought, smirking smugly.

"You realize Lissa won't be happy that you decided to sit with me today, right?" I said to Adrian.

He shrugged. "I told her I'm not taking sides. If she's going to be childish about it…then I guess it's clear who's side I should be on."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Adrian."

After school, I went to the gym. Usually, I'd be excited to go, but not today. Actually, I hadn't been for a few days now. Dimitri had started acting a little strange. I couldn't really remember when it started, but I thought it was somewhere after that day when I was late for my practice with Dimitri and he'd come to find me because he'd thought something had happened to me.

Since then, Dimitri seemed more distant than usual. There were no more jokes, no small talk before and after our practice. It had gotten to the point that I didn't even hang around after practice anymore. I didn't stay to make my homework in his office, while he took care of bills and other things. I didn't stay for a drink so we could talk some more. No, the past couple of days I went home straight away. I didn't know what had happened, but I couldn't help but think _I_ had done something wrong. It was Dimitri, after all, who'd started acting weird around me. My conclusion was that I must've done or said something wrong. If only he would tell me what it was that I'd done.

It had only been a couple of days, but I already missed Dimitri. The old Dimitri. _My_ Dimitri. I missed hanging out with him in his office, I missed our talks, I just missed _him_. I didn't want to admit it, but it was making me sad. And if I was completely honest with myself, I knew the exact reason why it was making me feel so sad.

I'd been thinking a lot about it lately, but I'd always dismissed the thought, telling myself that it was nothing. But I realized now that was not true. I liked Dimitri, but that had gradually turned into something more. At first, it was just an innocent crush and I thought it would fade quickly, but it hadn't. In fact, it had only strengthened over the past few weeks.

Sometimes I wondered if he knew, if that was the reason why he was distancing himself from me. What else could it be? I couldn't remember doing something wrong or saying something that had rubbed him the wrong way. So the only thing I could come up with was that he somehow had found out that I liked him more than a friend. Maybe I hadn't been as subtle as I'd thought. Maybe he'd caught me staring at him in awe a few times too many.

It seemed like today wasn't any different from yesterday and the day before and the day before that when I joined Dimitri on the mats. He barely spoke, didn't smile once and avoided looking into my eyes the whole time we practiced.

When he'd pinned me down for about the fifth time, I was so frustrated and angry. I wanted to ask him so badly – no, _demand_ – why he was acting like this. It was not fair that he was treating me like this without telling me why. In my frustration and anger, I finally managed to pin him down to the floor for the first time.

I stared down at him for a few moments, shocked I'd succeeded for once. Then, forgetting my frustration with him, I let out a whoop of joy and grinned down at him. Finally, a smile broke out on Dimitri's face – and not just one of his tiny half smiles he used to give me sometimes. No, it was a full-on smile and it was just for me. It warmed my heart immediately and I smiled back automatically.

"Good work, Rose," he complimented.

I could see the pride in his eyes. But then his smile disappeared and his face turned impassive again, like it had been the last couple of days. He started to get up, but I was still sitting on top of him and I wasn't going to let him go so easily now that I had him pinned down to the floor. I pushed against his shoulders and, in his surprise, he fell back against the mats.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I exclaimed, my breathing still heavy.

Dimitri looked at me, confused. "Rose, what are you talking-"

"You've been acting strange lately, like you're mad at me or something, and I don't know why!" I said, giving him another push. I couldn't take it anymore; I needed to know why he was being so distant. I wanted to sort this out so we could go back to normal.

His eyes widened slightly. "I'm not mad at you, Rose," he said.

"No?" I challenged. "Then why are you behaving like this?"

"Behaving like _what_?"

"You've been really distant these past few days and I don't know why! Is it something I've done? Did I say something wrong?" I sounded a little desperate, but I didn't care. I just wanted to _know_. "Please tell me if I did something-"

Dimitri sat up so quickly that I stumbled off of him. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me to him before my back could hit the mats.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he insisted, still holding onto me.

"Then why are you doing this?" I asked, calmer than I thought I'd be. "I liked coming here, I liked spending time with you, but then you started acting differently towards me and I'm wondering why… You barely talk to me anymore, Dimitri. Why?"

"Rose…" he started, his eyes flicking to mine briefly before looking away again.

"You don't want me hanging out here after school? Is that it?" I continued, not letting him speak. "You can tell me, Dimitri. It's just that I like being here, but if it's bothering you, then I won't hang around anymore. I'll go home straight after practice."

Dimitri looked up at me again and sighed. "No, Roza, I don't mind you being here," he said softly, loosening his grip on my wrists. "I don't mind it at all."

"Then what is your problem all of a sudden?" I asked frowning. "Why are you being so distant? You're supposed to be my friend."

"I am your friend," he said quickly. "It's just…" He hesitated and then shook his head, muttering, "Never mind."

He sighed again and then let go of me altogether before getting up. I was still sitting on the mats, gaping at him, as he started for the door. I couldn't believe he was just going to leave like that without giving me a proper answer for his recent behavior.

"Hey, this conversation isn't over yet!" I exclaimed angrily as I got up, too, and strode over to him. I stood in front of the door, blocking his way out.

"Rose," he said warningly. "Don't do this."

"Do what?!"

"_This!_"

"Then tell me why you're being such a-"

Dimitri stepped forward and pushed me against the wall, placing his hand over my mouth. "Rose, stop," he whispered, almost pleadingly. "Please." I looked up at him and said nothing. He sighed and removed his hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I snapped. "Why can't you just tell me what's wrong! Why do you have to be a dickhead?" His eyes darkened in anger. "Rose-"

"No!" I yelled, angry tears filling my eyes. "You're the only one I trust! You're the only one I can go to when I'm having a hard time! But you've been distant and I can't help but feel like I did something wrong! You keep saying that everything's fine, but that's not true! You're different and you're being an asshole and I don't know why because you won't tell me!" Dimitri opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "It's driving me crazy, Dimitri. I feel like you're tired of me, that you don't want me to come here anymore and I really hope that's not the case, because, honestly,… I can't afford to lose you."

I tried to keep my attention on his face, tried to keep my eyes on his, but it was hard. He was standing so close, I could smell the sweet scent of his aftershave mingled with his sweat. Taking a deep breath, I said, my voice wavering, "I don't want to lose you, Dimitri."

His hands were placed on either side of me on the wall and he was leaning closer and closer, our bodies almost touching now. There was no way I could escape and, honestly, I didn't want to. I took another deep breath, hoping it would calm me down, and lifted my eyes to meet his. Dimitri was staring at me and there was a look on his face I didn't recognize. It looked like adoration, but that couldn't be. My mind was playing tricks on me.

Before I could do or say something, Dimitri leaned in and crushed his lips against mine. It startled me at first, but when the initial shock had left me, I started kissing him back. He pushed me further into the wall, holding my face in his hands as he kissed me passionately. A soft moan escaped my lips when he bit down on my lower lip. I parted my lips, granting him entrance, and he slipped his tongue inside, exploring my mouth.

But then, suddenly, he was gone. Just as quick as he'd kissed me, he pulled away, taking several steps back as he stared at me with wide eyes. And then he looked away, cursing loudly in Russian. When he finally looked up at me again, he said, his breathing still heavy, "I'm sorry."

And then he was out the door.

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><p><strong>Oh no, what's going to happen now? :P <strong>

**I know I'm late, but happy thanksgiving! And I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :) **


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 13<strong>

**RPOV**

My lips were still tingling from Dimitri's kiss as I made my way back to the lobby, trying to find him. He was nowhere to be seen, though. I checked his office and the storage rooms, but he wasn't there either. I was about to go up to his apartment and see if he was there when I felt a hand on my shoulder jerk me back.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

It was Tasha.

"Where's Dimitri?" I asked, turning around. She looked annoyed, but I was already used to that. Ever since Dimitri and I started to get closer, she had been curt with me, glaring at me all the time like I was some threat to her. "I can't find him."

"Well, you're not going to find him in his apartment," Tasha said, smiling smugly. "He just left. Said he needed some fresh air. I don't know when he'll be back. He looked angry, though. What did you do to piss him off?"

I looked at her, outraged. "I didn't do anything," I defended myself. _Well, except kiss him_, I thought. But in my defense, he started it. "Is Ivan here?"

"No, his shift ended an hour ago," she answered, scowling at me.

Damn. I'd hoped he would be able to help me find Dimitri. Well, then I guess I had no other choice than to wait until tomorrow. As I walked home, I tried calling Dimitri a few times, but it jumped straight to voicemail every time.

"Dammit, Dimitri," I cursed before flinging my phone onto my bed. I should be feeling happy right now, because Dimitri _kissed_ me. But I couldn't be happy about it, because I was worried. He'd just run off after apologizing. But what had he apologized for? The kiss?

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that was the exact reason why he'd apologized and why he'd left so abruptly. He regretted the kiss and he couldn't have gotten away from me fast enough. Tears stung my eyes; it hurt more than I cared to then why did he kiss me in the first place? The question kept bugging me and I wished Dimitri would just call me back so we could talk about it.

I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept playing our kiss over and over in my head until I'd finally fallen asleep at four in the morning. When I arrived at school, I got a text from Dimitri, saying that he couldn't make it to practice today.

That pissed me off. So now he was going to avoid me? He was going to cancel our practice because he couldn't face me after what happened between us? How long did he think he was going to be able to do this? _Coward._ Honestly, I hadn't expected this from Dimitri. It seemed like he wasn't the perfect guy I'd always thought he was.

I was in a foul mood the rest of the day. My friends noticed, but, luckily didn't ask any questions. I had the urge to rant about Dimitri to Viktoria, but I couldn't tell her what had happened. For one, I had a feeling Dimitri wouldn't be too happy about that and, second, I didn't know how she would react if I told her I'd kissed her brother. She might be mad or grossed out or whatever. All I knew was that I couldn't confide in her this time.

_Yet another secret_, I thought bitterly.

After school, I went to the gym, hoping that even though Dimitri had canceled he'd still be there. But he wasn't. It seemed like Dimitri knew me too well; he'd known I was going to show up anyway even though he'd texted me not to come. So he'd left. Damn him.

I saw Ivan standing behind the bar, talking to a costumer. I strode over to him, determined to find out where Dimitri was.

"Where's Dimitri?" I interrupted the costumer.

Ivan looked at me, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Hey Rose, what's going on?"

"Where's Dimitri?" I repeated impatiently. "He's not in the gym. Where is he? In his apartment?"

"No, he left," Ivan said with a frown. "Why? What's going on?"

I ignored his questions. "Do you know where he went?"

He shook his head. "No, he didn't tell me."

I cursed loudly and the costumer widened his eyes in shock. I was too angry right now to apologize for my swearing. I looked around the gym and saw Tasha at the front desk. Maybe she knew where Dimitri was, but I was pretty sure that if she knew she wouldn't tell me.

"When you see him, tell him he needs to stop being a coward and call me," I told Ivan.

Ivan nodded quickly. "Okay. I will."

"Thanks," I grumbled before turning around and leaving.

I walked home, sulking about the fact Dimitri was avoiding me. It hurt, but most of all I was just angry. He could at least have the decency to tell me that kissing me had been a mistake, but instead he chose to avoid me.

"Hey kid. How was school?" Dad asked, smiling widely at me, when I came home.

"Fine," I muttered as I flung myself into the couch next to him.

He arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like it."

I shrugged. "Don't feel like talking about it. Anyway, I'm going to my room. I've got homework to do."

With a sigh, I got up and retreated to my room. Hours later, when I'd finally finished my overdue homework, my phone started buzzing. Hoping it was Dimitri, I quickly reached for it and answered the call.

"Dimitri?" I said.

"No, this is not Dimitri."

I went rigid when I realized it was not Dimitri calling me. My heart started beating faster, knowing who it was on the other line. I'd recognized his voice immediately. I wondered how he'd gotten my number, though. But I guess for people like him that was easy to find out.

"Although now I kind of wish I was Dimitri – whoever he is – because it seems like you really want to talk to him," he continued, taunting me.

"How'd you get my number?" I asked, my voice trembling a little.

"Andre," Nathan replied.

My eyes widened in disbelief. Andre? No, that couldn't be. He was the one who told Nathan to stay away from me. It didn't make sense he'd give Nathan my number.

"Andre wouldn't do that," I retorted.

Nathan chuckled. "No?"

"No!" I snapped.

"Well, you two seem to be so close, I thought he might have your number so I took his phone," he said casually. "Don't worry, though, he didn't notice."

"What do you want?" I asked, glad my voice wasn't wavering anymore. I didn't want him to know I was afraid.

"It seems like you've been complaining to Andre about me," he said slowly. _Shit._ My conversation with Andre. I'd told him how uncomfortable Nathan had made me feel. Had Andre talked to Nathan about it? Told him to leave me alone? "I wasn't really pleased to hear that you've been talking to him about me. I thought we had a deal, Rose."

"I didn't tell him anything, I swear," I said quickly, hoping he would believe me. "Andre doesn't know."

"I hope so for you," Nathan said, a warning note in his voice, "or else I'm going to have to hurt you. And Andre, too, of course."

"He doesn't know," I repeated. "Please… Just leave him alone."

"I have a better idea," he responded after a pause. "How about I come over sometime so we can discuss this in person? Maybe you can try to _convince_ me to leave him alone."

"No," I replied immediately. "No way I'm meeting up with you, you psycho. I know what you're trying to do, but you will not succeed. You're just going to have to take my word for it that Andre doesn't know."

"Hmm. I still think I should come over to your house," he mused.

"No! You think I'm an idiot? I'm not going to let you come to my house," I said angrily. "Just leave Andre and me alone!"

"What if I'm already at your house?" Nathan said, unfazed.

My heart nearly stopped. "You…you're bluffing," I said after a moment of hesitation. "You don't know where I live."

I could almost hear him grin as he said, "As a matter of fact I _do_ know where you live."

I let out a small gasp. "No! You're lying."

"Am I?" he taunted.

It was quiet, then, and for a moment I thought he'd disconnected. But then I heard him breathing into the phone and the next thing I knew there was shards of glass flying across my room. I shot up from my chair and squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to cover my face with my arms, but one piece of glass managed to cut my cheek. Lowering my arms, I looked at my broken window and then down at the shattered glass on my floor. There was a rock the size of my fist lying in the middle of it.

"Told you I know where you live," Nathan said, laughing, before he disconnected.

I looked out of my shattered window, but it was too dark to see anyone. He'd probably left by now, anyway.

When I looked back up, I saw Christian standing in front of his window, staring at me with his mouth wide open. Quickly, he opened his window and shouted, "Are you okay, Rose?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I called back.

Just then, my dad came storming inside.

"What happened? I heard a loud-" When he saw the shattered glass on the floor, his eyes widened. Then he noticed Christian standing at his window. He strode forward and stopped next to me. "Did you throw a rock through my daughter's window?!" he yelled, anger in his eyes.

Christian started shaking his head. "N-no, Sir," he stammered.

I could easily put the blame on Christian, tell my dad he had thrown the rock. I knew he would believe me, but I couldn't do that. I would just have to make something up.

"Christian didn't do anything, Dad," I said, my voice urgent. "It wasn't him."

Dad frowned. "Then who did this?"

I averted my eyes. "I don't know," I lied. "It was probably just a prank. I don't know. I didn't see who did it."

"Well, I don't think this is funny," Dad muttered as he stepped around the shards of glass.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered.

His face softened. "It's not your fault, Rose." He sighed. "You're probably right, it was just some stupid prank and I bet that those who did it are long gone now." He looked at Christian and said, "I'm sorry, kid. I didn't mean to accuse you. I just assumed-"

"It's fine," Christian said, waving his apology away. "I understand."

Dad offered him a smile before turning around. "I'll get the vacuum cleaner." Glancing back at the window, he added, "And find a cardboard or something to keep the cold outside."

I nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

He left, muttering something about stupid teenagers ruining his house. We spent the next hour cleaning my room and fixing my window, though there wasn't much too be fixed.

"Here are some extra blankets for tonight," Dad said, dropping the blankets on my bed. "I'll make sure your window gets fixed tomorrow. Good night, Rose."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead and then quietly left my a sigh, I crawled into bed, suddenly exhausted from everything that happened these past few days. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I snuggled under the blankets. I checked if I had any new messages, but there were none. I'd kind of hoped Dimitri would've texted me by now, but nothing. He was still avoiding me.

Dimitri had told me several times I should call him if I heard something from Nathan, but this time I didn't feel like telling him anything at all. He'd hurt me – a lot. And even if I wanted to tell him, it wouldn't matter. He'd just ignore my call just like every other call he'd ignored.

Ugh, why did I have to like him? Of all the men in the world, I just had to fall for my insanely hot instructor who happened to be seven years older than me. Typical. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I had some psycho running around after me and throwing rocks through my window.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, praying that this was all a bad dream and that tomorrow I'd wake up to a normal life again.

**DPOV**

"Hey, where the hell have you been?"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ivan coming out of the storage room, a box in his hands.

"Out," I replied.

He rolled his eyes. "I know that. But where did you go to? Whatever, it doesn't matter," he said, shaking his head. "Rose was here and she's pissed at you, Dimitri."

I looked down and sighed. I figured she'd be angry and, honestly, I couldn't blame her after the way I'd treated her.

"What did you do, man?" Ivan asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered.

"Did something happen?" he asked, looking worried.

I looked up at him and hesitated only for a moment before blurting out, "I kissed Rose."

Ivan looked shocked. "You kissed Rose?" he repeated dumbly.

I grimaced. "Yeah."

I walked to my office and motioned for Ivan to follow me so we could talk in private. I knew that if we stayed here, Tasha would sneak up on us to hear what we were talking about. She was too curious for her own good.

I closed the door behind Ivan and then made my way around the desk and sat down with a sigh. Ivan stood in the middle of my office, his arms crossed, waiting for an explanation.

"Well? Are you going to elaborate anytime soon or…?" he asked impatiently.

"There's not much to say… I lost control and I kissed her," I said, running my hand through my hair, frustrated. "She'd noticed I was being distant and she called me out on it. We started arguing and then… I don't know… I just kissed her." I looked up at Ivan, helpless. "I kissed her, Ivan. And then I ran out." Groaning, I buried my face in my hands. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I've been avoiding her ever since and I can't keep doing that much longer."

"Well, you could call her and apologize for running out on her like that!" Ivan said, incredulous. "No wonder she was so angry."

I looked back up at him and let out another sigh. "God, I made a mess of this. I never meant to…" Shaking my head, I muttered, "I ruined everything."

"Tell her you're sorry and pray to God she takes you back," Ivan said.

I scowled. "Takes me back? We're not even together."

"No," he agreed, "but you kissed her so that means that you want to be with her, right?"

"I can't," I said regrettably. "She's a minor, Ivan. I can't just-"

"I thought we'd already discussed this?" Ivan said, exasperated. I didn't reply. "Are you going to keep suppressing your feelings for her? That's not going to work, man. You already proved that when you kissed her during your _heated_ argument."

I glared at him. "Fine. Then what should I do?"

Ivan shrugged. "Just tell her how you feel about her."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," I muttered.

"And why is that?"

"I don't even know if she feels the same way," I said. "Maybe she got angry _because_ I kissed her."

"Did she kiss you back?"

I paused before answering, "Yeah, but…"

"Stop trying to find excuses," Ivan cut me off. "Just tell her the truth and make it right."

I looked at him, unsure. I guess he was right. I had to do _something_ and I couldn't keep up appearances forever. It was only getting harder and harder for me not to show how I felt about Rose.

But what if telling her the truth made things even worse? What if she just kissed me back because she got caught up in the moment? What if she didn't feel the same way at all? What if she'd feel uncomfortable being with me in the same room after I confessed my feelings for her?

I should've thought things through before I kissed her. But what was even worse was that I'd been a coward about it all. Instead of confronting her, I'd just avoided her. She was never going to forgive me.

_I still have to try and make it right_, I thought determinedly._ I have to try._

"It's the least she deserves, Dimka," Ivan said, snapping me from my reverie.

"I know," I responded.

Tomorrow, when she'd come for practice, I'd apologize and I'd tell her how I felt about her. Just the thought of it, made me nervous. I wasn't one to talk about feelings and, honestly, what I felt for Rose… I'd never felt it for anyone before. It was a new and scary feeling and I hoped I was doing the right thing in telling Rose. I really hoped so because I wasn't ready to lose her.

Not now, not ever.

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><p><strong>Will Rose want to talk to Dimitri when she sees him and will she tell him about Nathan's call? And is Christian going to say something about what he's seen? <strong>

**Hope you liked the chapter! Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for the reviews! :) **

**Like a few chapters ago, there's another Viktoria POV for the readers who want more Viktoria & Ivan. I got a few requests to do an Ivan POV so I'll write one for one of the next chapters. For the readers who don't want to read the VPOV, you can just skip it. There's nothing too important in it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 14<strong>

**VIKTORIA POV**

"Ivan, will you back off for a minute?" I groaned, frustrated. "I can't concentrate if you keep hovering over me like this."

I was doing another equation, but I couldn't focus because Ivan was leaning so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. Normally, I wouldn't mind him sitting so close – hell, I'd welcome it with open arms – but with him being so close right now, reading over my shoulder, I couldn't concentrate on my equations. This was about the fourth time Ivan had come over to help me with my math and I was getting better and better. I had to admit that Ivan wasn't a bad teacher.

"Sorry," he said, though he was smirking as he sat back in his chair. "Just wanted to see if you're not making any mistakes. But okay, I'll wait until you're finished." He got up and walked across my room. "Am I sitting far enough from you now?" he said in a teasing voice from somewhere behind me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw him lying on my bed, throwing my stuffed animal in the air and catching it. He looked over at me with a grin on his handsome face. I blushed bright red at the sight of him, lying _on my bed_.

I quickly looked away before he noticed my blush and said, "If you're going to lounge on my bed, please remove your shoes. I don't want it to get filthy."

Ivan chuckled. "Yes, Ma'am. How's that equation going?"

"Fine," I muttered, "if you'd just shut up."

This time, Ivan laughed outright. "Alright. I'll shut up. Just let me know when you're done."

I worked in silence for ten more minutes and then turned around in my chair. "It's finished."

"Alright, show me," Ivan said, sitting up in my bed.

I hesitated, but then got up and walked over to him. Gingerly, I sat down next to him on my bed and handed him the paper. Our hands brushed together when he took it from me. I suppressed a gasp when his eyes flicked to mine. It was like they were boring into my soul; it was making my heart speed up.

At last, he pulled his hand away from mine and averted his gaze, looking at the piece of paper. He studied it for a few minutes and then a smile appeared on his face.

"Good job! You got it all right!" he said, looking up at me, pride in his eyes.

I released the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Really?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

I smiled, happy, and, not even realizing what the hell I was doing, I leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you for helping me, Ivan!"

I felt him stiffen, and I bit my lip, fearing I'd overstepped my boundaries, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me.

"You're welcome, Vika," he said softly. He let out a sigh and added, "I guess you don't need me anymore now."

I pulled away to look at him and was surprised to see a sad expression on his face. But he covered it up quickly with a fake smile. _Why though?_ I thought, confused. _Why is he sad about me not needing his help anymore?_

"Well, if I ever need your help again," I said awkwardly, "I'll let you know."

His smile turned more genuine. "Please do."

It was quiet for a moment and I started to feel sad myself. If I didn't need his help any longer then I wouldn't see him this often anymore. I didn't want that.

"Hey," I said suddenly, remembering something. "Didn't you tell me you'd take me out some night to the movies? When the hell is that going to happen? I'm still bored here."

Ivan looked at me, grinning. "Ah, you remember that?"

I grinned back. "Of course!"

"Then I guess I'll have to do something about that, huh?" he said, nudging my shoulder playfully. "I'll check my schedule at the gym tomorrow to see when I've got the night off and then I'll take you out. Sounds good?"

I nodded, already excited. "Sounds perfect," was what I wanted to say, but I didn't want to seem too eager so instead I said casually, "Okay."

I thought Ivan was going to leave now, but instead he made himself comfortable on my bed, sitting back against the wall, with his arms crossed behind his head. "So what are your plans for this weekend?"

"Rose and I are going to have a sleepover tomorrow night," I said, happy he was staying for another while. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Oh really? Are Dimka and I invited?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Another blush crept onto my face and I looked away again, trying to hide it. Seriously, I had to stop blushing like that! It was annoying!

"No, it's girls' night only," I answered.

He pouted. "Too bad. Although, maybe it's for the best. Rose wouldn't want Dimitri there anyway now."

I looked at him, curious. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "They had an argument."

"About what?"

He leaned forward and poked me in the ribs, making me squeal. "Well, well, aren't you a curious little thing!"

"Answer the question!" I said, giving another squeal when he poked me again.

"I would if I could, but I'm not supposed to tell," he said. "Why don't you ask Rose? She's your friend. I'm sure she'd love to tell you, vent a little bit about Dimitri..." He flashed me another grin.

Now I was really curious and Ivan knew. That's why he was teasing me like this. I knew he wasn't going to tell me, though.

"Fine," I huffed. "I'll ask Rose. And don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"No. Why? Do you want me to go?" he asked.

I shrugged, trying to appear casual. "No, you can stay. If you want to."

Ivan smiled at me. "Fine. Then I'll stay."

I smiled back, feeling very content right now. "Okay."

**RPOV**

"Who keeps calling you?"

I ignored the call once again and forced a smile onto my face as I looked at Viktoria. "No one important," I replied as I looped my arm through hers. "Come on, let's get going."

It was Friday and school had just ended for the day. Normally, I'd go to the gym now to practice with Dimitri, but since he had canceled yesterday, I decided _I_ would cancel today. Dimitri had been texting and calling me a couple of times now, which surprised me. I figured it was only fair to ignore him – just like he'd ignored me.

I would be staying over at Viktoria's tonight and I hoped Dimitri wasn't planning on visiting. If he did, I could always hide in Viktoria's room and ask her not to tell him I was there.

Once again, Olena had made a delicious dinner. It was nice seeing her again and I wish I could say the same about Viktoria's grandmother, Yeva. She was always scrutinizing me whenever I walked into the room and it creeped me out a little bit.

But so far, this sleepover, was going way better than the one at Lissa's. Especially because Nathan wasn't here to ruin it. I told Viktoria about what happened last night and she was shocked.

"So that's how you got that nasty cut on your face!" she gasped.

I nodded, sighing. I'd been making excuses all day about how I'd gotten that cut on my face, but I trusted Viktoria so I was glad I could finally tell the truth to someone.

"You're lucky your father believed you." She bit her lip, hesitating. "Or maybe that had been your chance to tell him about Nathan?"

"I don't want my parents to know," I mumbled, not looking at her. "I'm too ashamed of what happened and I don't want to disappoint them."

"It's not your fault, Rose," Viktoria said gently. "He drugged you."

"It wouldn't have happened if I'd watched my drink," I said, finally looking up at her. "Can we please stop talking about this? It's making me feel depressed."

She nodded. "From now on, we'll only talk about fun things tonight, okay?"

I smiled at her. "I'd like that."

She smiled back. "Good!"

"So, how are things going with Ivan?" I teased as I leaned back against the wall, making myself comfortable on her bed. "Has he come over since the last time he helped you with your math homework?"

She blushed. "Yeah, he did. But we just talked," she added quickly. "Nothing happened."

"Oh," I said, disappointed.

"He keeps saying things that make me think he likes me, though," she said, smiling to herself. "And sometimes he'd brush his hand against mine. Accidentally, of course," she added with a grin.

"Sure. Accidentally," I said sarcastically.

Viktoria blushed again. "He's going to take me out for a movie. He promised me."

"Oh really?" I said grinning.

"Yeah. And sometimes…sometimes I think he's flirting with me." She sighed. "I don't know what to think anymore. I just wish he would just say it, you know. If he likes me or if he doesn't like me - that it's just me imagining things. Don't get me wrong, I like the flirting and all, but I just want to know if it means something."

I thought about Dimitri and how we'd been flirting from time to time. That was before he'd distanced himself from me. And then that kiss…

"Yeah, I know right," I muttered. "And as soon as it gets real, they run away."

She nodded. "But, honestly, if he likes me, I think he's holding off because of Dimka. He's probably scared it'll ruin their friendship – which I can understand, but…" She shrugged. "I don't know. It's all so complicated."

_Tell me about it_, I thought bitterly.

"Oh, now I remember! Ivan said something about you having an argument with Dimitri," Viktoria exclaimed suddenly. I made a face. I really didn't want to talk about this right now. "What happened?"

Just then, I heard a voice down in the hallway. I recognized it immediately as Dimitri's. _Shit._ Just my luck, I guess.

"Viktoria? Are you here?"

"I'm in my room," she called back as she started to get up.

I put my hand on her arm, stopping her. "Don't tell him I'm here," I told her.

She frowned. "Why? Maybe he wants to talk it out?"

"Just…don't tell him. Please," I said, looking at her pleadingly.

She looked at me for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I won't," she said. "But when I get back you're going to have to tell me what happened, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed.

She walked out of her room and went downstairs. I walked over to the door so I could eavesdrop. I know I shouldn't, but I was curious.

"Do you know where Rose is?" I heard Dimitri asking. "I've been trying to reach her all day. I called you too a couple of times."

"Oh, I don't have my phone with me right now," Viktoria answered.

"So, have you seen Rose?" he asked.

"No," Viktoria responded quickly. Too quickly.

I winced, knowing that Dimitri wouldn't give up so easily.

"No?" he repeated and I could almost see him looking at her with suspicion. "You didn't see her at school or something?"

"Oh yeah! Sure. At school," she said nervously.

"Why are you so fidgety?" Dimitri said.

"I'm not-"

"You're lying, aren't you?"

"I would _never_ lie to you-"

"That's another lie," Dimitri interrupted. "Do you know where Rose is? Did she tell you something?"

"What should she have told me?" Viktoria asked, sounding confused. "What's going on? Why do you need to talk to her so badly?"

"I just do," he said. "So tell me where I can find her. You're friends with her, Vika. I know you know where she is and if you don't, you can find out easily."

"Why don't you call her yourself?" Viktoria said. "She's your friend too."

"I already told you I tried, but she won't answer my calls," Dimitri said impatiently.

Suddenly, another voice joined the conversation. "What are you two arguing about?" It was Olena. "And Dimka, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've saved some dinner for you."

"That's okay, Mama. I already ate. I just needed to talk to Viktoria," Dimitri answered.

"About what?"

"Rose. I need to talk to her, but I can't find her. I thought Vika might know-"

"Oh, but Rose is here!" Olena said. "She's in Vika's room."

It was quiet for a few moments downstairs. I let out a groan and banged my head against the door. _Dammit._

"Vika, why didn't you tell me Rose is here?" Dimitri exclaimed at last.

"I… I…" she stammered.

"I knew you were lying," Dimitri said, sounding annoyed.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I quickly walked back into Viktoria's room, looking around for a hiding spot. I realized I was being ridiculous,but I just didn't want to talk to Dimitri right now.

"Rose."

Sighing, I turned around and looked at Dimitri. "What?"

His eyes widened when he saw me and he strode forward. "What happened to you?!"

I realized he was talking about the cut on my cheek. I let my hair fall forward so it hid the cut. "Nothing," I said curtly.

"Rose…"

He reached out with his hand, as if he wanted to brush my hair aside, but I slapped his hand away and stepped back.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "Don't. Nothing happened!"

Dimitri looked at me, hurt, but then he shook his head and sighed. "Can we talk?" he asked softly.

"Oh, so _now_ you want to talk?" I said, crossing my arms. "What about yesterday? When _I_ wanted to talk and you avoided me all day?"

He looked away guiltily. "I'm sorry about that, Rose. I shouldn't have-"

"Hey, don't you see she doesn't want to talk right now?" Viktoria interrupted, walking back into the room. "Maybe you should go, Dimka."

Dimitri glanced over at her. "I'm not leaving until I've talked to her. Vika, can you please leave now? I need to talk to Rose in private."

She looked outraged. "Are you throwing me out of my own room?"

"Vika, _please_," Dimitri said, giving her a pointed look. "Please give us a minute."

"Fine," Viktoria grumbled before striding out of her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Silence fell as Dimitri and I stood there, looking at each other. Well, he was looking. I was glaring.

"I'm sorry," Dimitri said, breaking the silence. "I really am."

"For what?" I snapped. "For running off? For ignoring me? For kissing me?"

He flinched. "For everything."

If he was sorry for everything that had to mean that he also regretted the kiss. _Awesome. Just awesome._

"I shouldn't have run off that day," Dimitri said, looking apologetic. "I should've stayed and talked to you instead of avoiding you. You have every reason to be mad at me."

"You got that right," I muttered. "And I'm not just mad. I'm pissed." He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "And not because you ran off after you kissed me – although I'm mad about that too – but because you promised me you would always be there for me. Yesterday, I needed you to be there for me. But you'd avoided me all day, ignored all my calls, so I didn't even bother trying to call you again after…" I sighed in frustration and turned away from him. "You know what, forget it."

"No," Dimitri said, stepping closer to me. "After what?" he asked softly. "Did something happen?"

I turned back around, my eyes blazing. "You could say that, yeah!"

"What happened?" he asked carefully. "How did you get that cut?"

"Nathan was at my house," I told him. "Apparently, Andre went to him after he'd talked to me about that night when I was at the Dragomir's house. He wanted to make sure I hadn't told Andre the truth or else he would have to hurt me. He said he wanted to come over to my house to talk, but I said no and I thought he didn't know where I live. But he told me he did know. I said he was bluffing and guess what? To prove he _did_ know, he threw a freaking rock through my window and then he ran off! That's how I got that cut on my cheek."

Dimitri looked at me, perplexed. "Rose, I'm so-"

"I needed you that night, Dimitri," I cried, "but you were too busy avoiding me because of some stupid kiss!"

He flinched again at my angry tone. "I'm really sorry, Rose. I know I should've called you back."

"But you didn't because you're a coward!" I said angrily. "If you knew you were going to regret kissing me, then why did you in the first place?"

"Roza, I – I don't-"

Suddenly, the door opened and Viktoria walked back in. "I can hear the two of you yelling from downstairs." She looked at her brother. "Dimka, I think it's better if you leave. You're ruining our sleepover."

Dimitri nodded and started for the door. Glancing over his shoulder at me, a pained expression on his face, he said, "I'm really sorry, Roza."

And then he left.

I took a deep, calming breath and then sat down on Viktoria's bed, burying my face in my hands. I felt the bed dip as Viktoria sat down beside me.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

I looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah…"

"Why didn't you tell me my brother kissed you?" she asked.

I let out a groan. "You heard that?"

"I heard pretty much everything," she admitted. She smiled sheepishly. "You were kind of loud."

"Sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to start arguing here with your brother."

"It's okay. I understand why you're angry," Viktoria said. "It's why I came back up and told him to leave. Before it got out of hand."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Before you'd say something you'd regret," she elaborated. I didn't say anything. "You like him, don't you?"

"I do," I admitted. It was a little weird to talk about this with Viktoria, because she was Dimitri's sister, but it seemed like she was okay with it. "And when he kissed me, I thought he liked me back. But then he ran off…"

"If he kissed you, he must really like you," Viktoria said. "He isn't the kind of guy that fools around with girls and then drops them like they mean nothing. He isn't a player. He's serious about relationships."

"Then why did he run? And why did he avoid me?" I asked, almost desperate. "He could've just told me if he doesn't like me that way. Sure, it would've hurt, but it would've hurt less than this."

"Dimitri is always trying to do the right thing," she responded. "He probably thinks it's wrong to like you because of the age gap and the fact that you're still a minor."

"I'm eighteen in a few months. Doesn't make much difference, right?"

"I know. Remember when I told you I think Ivan is holding off because of Dimitri?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, well, I think my age is another reason why he's holding off." She sighed. "They just want to do the right thing, I guess."

I sighed, too. "Yeah, I guess." We fell silent and after a few minutes had passed, I asked, "So you're not weirded out that I like Dimitri? I mean, he's your brother and…"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not weirded out," she responded, smiling a little. She paused and then said, "Actually, I like the idea of you and him together. If anyone deserves to be with my brother, it's you. I don't want some stupid chick to date my brother. Like Tasha." She crinkled her nose. "You know Tasha, right?"

"Yeah. She doesn't like me very much."

"Oh?"

"I'm too close with Dimitri," I said with a shrug. Then I reconsidered. "Well, I _was_."

"Awe, don't say that," Viktoria said, nudging me with her shoulder. "You're still close. You just had an argument."

"It was more than an argument," I countered.

"True," she admitted, "but you two will fix it. I'm sure of it. If Dimitri really likes you, he'll make it up to you."

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"We're kind of in the same situation – except that Ivan hasn't kissed me," she said with a pout. "But anyway, if I didn't understand, I'd be a hypocrite."

"Well, thanks anyway."

Viktoria grinned. "What are friends for, right?"

My smile grew wider. "Right."

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><p><strong>That was it for this chapter, hope you liked it! Who wants Rose and Dimitri to make up next chapter? :D<strong>

**Have a nice weekend! :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**This is the longest chapter I've ever written, I think. As requested, there's an Ivan POV. I hope you'll like it. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 15<strong>

**DPOV**

To say that I felt awful, was an understatement. I couldn't believe what an idiot I'd been! I should've never avoided Rose – scratch that, I should've never walked away after that kiss in the first place. _Stupid, stupid!_ She had every reason to be pissed at me right now – even hate me. I hated myself too in this moment. I'd let her deal with Nathan on her own because I'd been too busy avoiding her like some kind of jerk. I should have been there for her, but I hadn't and that killed me. How was I ever going to make this up to her?

"God, what's wrong with you?" Tasha asked, snapping me from my reverie as I walked into the gym. She was just about to close up for the night. "You look angry. Did something happen?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Because you look-"

"Just leave please. I need to think," I grumbled, slamming the door to my office shut behind me. It didn't come to me that I should probably apologize for being so rude to Tasha.

I sat in my office the rest of the evening, sulking and grumbling. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door. Startled, I looked up, wondering who could be here. It was probably Tasha, even though she should've left by now. It was already half past nine.

"Come in," I said tiredly.

To my surprise, it was my mother who stepped inside my office.

"Mama, what are you doing here?" I asked, getting up. "I thought Tasha closed up-"

"You gave me a spare key, remember?" she said, holding up the key. "Anyway, I'm here to talk to you about earlier." She gave me a pointed look. "You didn't handle your situation with Rose very well."

I looked away, uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to-" I sighed in defeat and slumped back into my seat. "I just wanted to talk to her, but I only made things worse. She's never going to forgive me for this."

"What happened?" Mama asked gently as she took a seat across from me. "I heard a bit of it, but I'm still confused about it all."

I told her everything; about how I'd started to feel differently about Rose; about how I'd kissed her and then ignored her. I told her how I hadn't been there for her when Nathan had called her and threatened her.

"I messed up big time and I don't know how to fix it," I said, burying my face in my hands.

"Well, for starters, you could've stayed and talked to her after you kissed her," my mother said. "Then you wouldn't be in this mess right now."

I looked up at her. "Please don't remind me," I muttered.

She sighed. "Well, it happened and you can't change it. All you can do now, is talk to her and explain how you're feeling."

"I tried, but she's too pissed at me to listen – which I can understand."

"Then make her listen to her. You have to tell her how you feel about her. And if she doesn't want to hear it, then _show_ her."

"Mama, I can't do that," I told her sadly. "She's only seventeen – I just can't – I'm not supposed to feel this way about her."

"You're right. She's _seventeen_. That means she's almost an adult. She'll be eighteen soon. Does a few months make that much of a difference?"

I shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Dimka, I want you to be happy," my mother said, leaning forward as her eyes locked with mine. "And I know Rose makes you happy. I saw it the first time she came over for dinner. And I know you make her happy, too."

"I'm making her anything but happy right now," I muttered unhappily.

"Then stop being such a fool!" she said firmly. "If you want to be with her, just go for it. Stop worrying about what everyone will think of you. Stop putting others first; put yourself first for once."

Before I could reply, she got up and started for the door. "I'll let you be now," she said. Her face softened as she looked at me. "Think about what I said and don't be too hard on yourself. You deserve to be happy, too."

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Mama."

She smiled back. "Good night, Dimka."

And then she left me with my thoughts.

**RPOV**

I wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but I knew that despite what had happened with Dimitri I still wanted to learn how to defend myself. I still might not have gone, though, if Viktoria hadn't persuaded me. She'd said that it was the only way to talk it out and get things back to normal. So that's why I found myself at the gym the next day.

Dimitri was nowhere to be seen. I started looking for Ivan, hoping he knew where I could find Dimitri. But it seemed like he wasn't there either. So my only option left was Tasha. With great reluctance, I walked over to the front desk.

"Hey, do you know where I can find Dimitri?" I asked.

She looked up at me, a sneer on her face. "Couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

I sighed and was about to leave when the door opened and Dimitri stepped into the lobby. A surprised look crossed his face when he saw me.

"Rose," he said, his eyes widening slightly. "I… I didn't expect you to come."

"Me neither," I responded. "But I'm here. I'd like to continue our lessons, but if you don't want-"

"No," he said quickly. "I want to."

I nodded. "Alright then."

I started in the direction of the women's locker room, but then Dimitri's voice stopped me.

"Rose?" he asked hesitantly.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Yeah?"

"Can we please talk about-"

"No," I said sharply. Now that I was here, I didn't really feel like talking. Clearing my throat, I continued, my voice softer, "I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just forget about it, okay?"

I walked away before he could answer. Practice had never been this awkward before. Neither of us said a word to each other unless it had something to do with self-defense. But instead of wanting to defend myself, I felt more like advancing on Dimitri for being such an ass. I knew it wasn't going well today and Dimitri realized it too.

"Stop," he said after half an hour. "Stop, Rose. You're so angry that you can't focus on what you're doing. We should talk it out first before-"

"If we're not going to do anything, I'm leaving," I said, already making my way to the door, angry at him and myself.

Dimitri caught my arm and pulled me back. "Rose, please. We need to talk."

I spun around. "There's nothing left to talk about!"

"Yes, there is," he insisted.

"When I wanted to talk, you avoided me! And now that I don't want to anymore, you suddenly want to talk!" I said angrily.

"It's not that I didn't want to talk, Rose," he responded. "I… I just needed time to think."

"Whatever," I said shrugging, turning back to the door. "I don't care anymore."

"Roza, please," he said pleadingly. "You have every right to be angry with me, but we need to sort this out." I ignored him and kept walking. When I'd almost reached the door, he suddenly said, his voice soft, "I don't want to lose you."

That stopped me. Slowly, I turned around and looked at him. "What?" I said dumbly.

"I don't want to lose you," he repeated, a look of desperation on his face. Hesitantly, he stepped closer. "I know I've been acting like an idiot this past week and I'm sorry for that. I never meant to hurt you. I just thought it was better if I kept more distance."

I frowned, looking at him with hurt. "But why? I thought we were friends."

Dimitri took another careful step closer. "We are, but I…" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I was actually never going to tell you. I didn't want you to figure it out – it's why I distanced myself from you – but I guess I can't help myself when I'm with you."

I looked at him, confused. What the hell was he talking about? "You're not making any sense, Dimitri."

"I don't think of you as just a friend," he said, locking eyes with me. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I have feelings for you, Roza. I know I shouldn't because it's wrong, but, like I said, I can't help it. I can't help the way I feel about you."

I stared at him, speechless. "You...you have feelings for me?" I stammered at last, my heart beating faster than usual. _Oh my God, Dimitri has feelings for me._

Dimitri gave a tiny nod. "Yes," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "I shouldn't have kissed you, though. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, confused. "If you have feelings for me, then why-"

"I do, Roza," he interrupted gently. "But I shouldn't. You're only seventeen – still a minor. And after what happened to you…" He glanced at me carefully. "I'm the last thing you need right now. You already got enough going on."

"That's not true," I argued. "I do need you."

He shook his head at me. "What you need me to be is your friend, not-"

I walked over to him and placed my hands on his chest. "Dimitri, stop."

He shut up and looked at me, almost afraid of what I was going to say. Slowly, his hands moved up and grabbed my hands, but he didn't pull them away from his chest. Yet.

"Roza," he said softly, his eyes flicking down to my lips before meeting my gaze again. "We shouldn't… It's wrong."

I didn't listen to him. With my heart in my throat, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. Dimitri took a sharp intake of breath and didn't move except for his hands tightening around my wrists.

"Does this feel wrong?" I whispered, pulling back slightly.

He looked at me, his eyes wide, and slowly shook his head. "No," he whispered back. "But-"

I pressed my lips against his again and this time I felt him kiss me back. I pulled away again and smiled at him.

"This feels right," I said softly.

Dimitri swallowed heavily. "Roza, I-"

"No," I cut him off. "I don't want you to tell me we can't be together because it's wrong. That's not true. Because… If it feels right, then how could it be wrong?"

"You're a minor," Dimitri said quietly, glancing away from me. "And I'm… I'm seven years older than you."

"So? I'll be eighteen in a few months," I responded.

"It's not really professional," Dimitri said, looking down at our interlocked hands.

"Was it ever?" I said dryly.

I knew how Dimitri acted around the other women that came in here for self-defense classes. Everything was strictly professional; there was no chitchat and if a woman came up to him and asked him out, he declined politely. I'd seen it happen more than once.

"I guess not," Dimitri muttered, smiling reluctantly. His eyes flicked down to my lips again.

"Then stop making excuses," I murmured. "If it's true that you feel the same way about me as I feel about you, then please stop-"

I was cut off when Dimitri's lips landed on mine. I responded to the kiss immediately and let go of his hands to wrap my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me closer as he deepened the kiss.

When Dimitri pulled away at last, we were both breathing heavily. He looked at me in awe and I smiled at him, biting down on my lower lip.

"Don't do that," Dimitri said, looking at my lips again.

"Why not?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him innocently.

"It makes me want to kiss you," he murmured, already leaning in closer.

"In that case, I think I'm not going to stop," I said, barely able to contain my grin.

Dimitri chuckled and then closed the distance, pressing his lips against mine in a gentle kiss. His hands were still resting on my waist when he pulled away from the kiss.

And then, suddenly, his face turned serious again. "I'm really sorry, Rose. About everything," he said softly, letting out a sigh. "I didn't want to avoid you, but I felt guilty for kissing you. But now I feel even more guilty for avoiding you. If I hadn't been acting like a coward and a jerk, I could've been there for you when Nathan called you." His fingers gently touched my cheek where I'd been cut by the glass as he looked at me with regret in his eyes. "I_should_ have been there for you. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I murmured, looking up at him. I didn't have the energy anymore to be angry at him, especially not after his confession."I know you thought you were doing the right thing by walking away, but…sometimes you have to stop and think about yourself for a second. And hey, you're here for me now, aren't you?" I added.

He smiled and tugged me a little closer. "I'm glad I finally told you."

I smiled back, feeling butterflies in my stomach. "Me too."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?" Dimitri asked, looking at me hopefully. "Do you forgive me?"

My smile grew wider. "No, I'm not mad at you anymore. And I forgive you - but don't think about doing something stupid like that ever again," I added warningly.

"I won't," he promised, looking relieved. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me against him and kissed the top of my head."Thank you, Roza."

I let out a sigh and wrapped my arms around his waist before burying my face into his chest. We stood there, hugging each other, for several minutes before I said, "You know, I have a feeling we're not going to be practicing much today."

Dimitri laughed softly and kissed my hair. "Do you mind?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "No. Not at all."

**DPOV**

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Rose said, a secretive smile on her face.

I nodded, feeling a smile tug at my lips. "Yeah. And don't be late please," I added, grabbing her wrist when she slid off the bar stool. She looked up at me, biting down on her lip. I narrowed my eyes at her playfully; she knew full well how much it made me want to kiss her. But because there were other people around – like Tasha – I couldn't.

"For you, I might just come early," she said, winking at me. "Night, comrade."

"Good night, Roza," I called as I watched her make her way to the exit. When she'd disappeared into the night, I looked away, smiling to myself. I felt so relieved now that I told her about my feelings for her and I was so, so happy she returned them. Good thing I'd listened to Ivan and my mother's advice and told Rose the truth.

"God, isn't she annoying?" Tasha said, snapping me from my reverie.

"Huh?" I said, blinking.

"Rose. Isn't she so annoying?" Tasha said, a scowl on her face. She walked behind the bar and stood next to me, hands on her hips. "Why is she here _all the time_?"

I frowned. "She isn't here all the time." _Unfortunately,_ I added silently.

"Well, she's here more than she should be," Tasha countered. "Why can't she just go home after her private lessons with you?" I opened my mouth to say something, but she continued, "Now we're talking about that anyway, don't you think it's time she just takes the class? A new one starts in two weeks, right? She can join that group."

"No, she doesn't want that," I told Tasha. And I didn't want that either, to be honest. I enjoyed our practices together. It had become a daily routine; it would be strange if it would end just like that. "Besides, she'd have to start from the beginning again if she joins the group. That's unnecessary."

"I'd really consider putting her in the group, Dimka," Tasha insisted. "Have you seen the way she looks at you and how much she hangs around here to talk to you? I think she has a crush on you. No, that's not true. I'm _sure_ she has a crush on you. Why else would she-"

"Tasha!" I interrupted, giving her a warning look. "That's enough."

She frowned. "But-"

"It's none of your business why she hangs around here so much. She isn't doing anything wrong by being here, is she? Rose can hang here out all the time for all I care," I said with a shrug, trying to appear casual. I didn't want her to know that I_ wanted_ Rose around. "If she likes it here, then who's to say she needs to go? She isn't bothering anyone."

"She's bothering _me_," Tasha said coldly.

I sighed in annoyance. "Then don't talk to her. Leave her be."

"But-"

I cut her off again. "And if she wants private lessons instead of taking the class, that's none of your business either."

Tasha huffed. "Well, I hope she's paying you double for those private lessons."

Actually, Rose didn't have to pay anything. I didn't want her to. She was my friend – well, girlfriend now, I suppose – and I wanted to help her out. I didn't want any money from her.

"Look, Tasha, if you don't like Rose then just don't talk to her," I said, gritting my teeth.

She looked at me and raised her eyebrow. "Do _you_ like her?"

I looked away, avoiding her gaze. "Sure. She's a nice girl," I said casually.

"Yeah. She's a _girl_. Crushing on an older guy and trying to wound him around her finger," she said, giving me a pointed look. "I'm telling you, you have to be careful with her. I bet she did the same with that guy that supposedly assaulted her. Next thing you know she'll accuse _you_ of assaulting her."

I smacked down the glass I was drying on the bar and looked at Tasha angrily. I didn't ask her how she knew Rose had been assaulted. She'd probably been eavesdropping again and heard me and Rose talk about it.

"Now you went too far," I told her icily. "How dare you say that about Rose? You don't know her at all. You don't like her, you feel threatened by her, and that's why you're saying these things. I warn you, Tasha. One more word about Rose and you're fired."

Tasha looked taken aback, her eyes wide in shock. She recovered quickly, though, and her expression turned angry. "You're taking her side?" she said, outraged. "You've barely known her for a few months while you've known me for years!"

"Rose would never do such a thing!" I said, lowering my voice, realizing we were making a scene. Thank God, the gym was almost empty now. "I don't know how you found out that Rose was assaulted, but I was there. I've seen it happen and I got her out of there. So don't you dare tell me she's lying!"

She paled, but then her eyes narrowed. "You like her, don't you?" I didn't reply. "She's already got you wrapped around her finger."

"You've been working hard lately," I said, ignoring her comment. "Maybe you should take the week off so you can rest and clear your head."

She stared at me for a long time. I stared right back until she finally glanced away.

"Fine!" she growled as she walked away in quick strides. "Have it your way."

She grabbed her coat and purse and then stormed off, slamming the door shut behind her. I wondered if she'd come back next week, but right now I couldn't really care about that. I was too angry at her.

A few hours later, I locked up and flicked the lights out before retreating to my apartment. I spent the rest of the night flipping channels on TV, bored out of my mind. I was still annoyed about the whole Tasha thing, but then my mind wandered back to this afternoon, when I'd told Rose the truth and we'd spent the rest of practice kissing and talking. It put a smile to my face and lightened my mood. What I'd do to have her here with me right now.

**IVAN POV**

I glanced at my cell phone every few seconds, nervous, as I paced the floor in my living room. Should I call her or not? I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. _But you did promise you'd take her out_, I told myself. _You're free tonight so why not now?_

I groaned and stopped, staring at my cell phone that was lying on the coffee table. Finally, I snatched it up and, taking a deep breath, I dialed her number. She answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Vika," I greeted. "It's me… Ivan. I, um, was wondering…"

"Yes?" she said when I didn't continue.

Shit, why was I so nervous?! It was not like this was a date; I was just taking a friend out. I was going to go to the movies with a friend. _Yeah right_, I thought, rolling my eyes at myself. _A friend._

Clearing my throat, I said hurriedly, "Well, I have the night off so if you want I can take you out? Tonight? If you're not busy, I mean…"

"I can go. I'm not busy tonight," she answered.

I almost sagged in relief. "Okay. I'll pick you up in an hour, then?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Okay," I said, smiling. "I'll see you then. Bye Vika."

I stared at my phone for another good ten minutes, unable to believe that I was going out with Viktoria in less than an hour. I snapped out of my haze, realizing that I had to get dressed now if I wanted to get there in time. So I got ready in a hurry and then left to pick up Viktoria.

When I arrived, I took a few deep, calming breaths and then got out of my car. I rang the bell and waited for Vika to open the door. When she finally did, I was stunned to silence. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her skinny jeans and leather jacket.

"Y-you look nice," I stammered, immediately regretting saying it. I had to keep telling myself that this was not a date! I was just taking my best friend's sister to the movies so she could get out of the house for one night. "Anyway," I said quickly, clearing my throat, before she could form a reply, "does your mother know where you're going?"

"Yeah, she's okay with it," Viktoria responded, following me back to my car.

I opened the car door for her and then went around to the driver's side. "Have you had dinner yet?" I asked as I started the car and sped off.

She shook her head.

"Okay, what do you want to eat then?" I asked, not daring to glance over at her. Why was I still so nervous? My palms were sweating for crying out loud! This was not normal. "You can choose."

"Hmmm," she mused, looking out the window. I almost jumped when she exclaimed, "Oh, I know! Can we go to McDonalds? I haven't been there in ages and I really want a burger right now."

I grinned at her enthusiasm. "Fine. McDonalds it is."

I started to relax when Viktoria started chatting about trivial things. It was just like we were back in her room when I was helping her with her math. It was too bad she didn't need my help anymore. I liked spending more time with her, but I guess that wouldn't be happening any longer. I didn't have a reason to visit her anymore. Maybe in the future, she'd need my help again. It was selfish of me, but I really hoped she did.

After our dinner, we went to the movie theater. I let Viktoria choose the movie. I wouldn't be able to pay attention anyway with her sitting beside me.

"Hey, are you alright?" Viktoria asked suddenly. "You have been quiet all night."

I gave her a tight smile. "Everything's fine."

She hesitated, but then said, "Okay. I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

"Okay, I'll wait here," I said.

I let out a sigh as she left for the bathroom. I really had to stop thinking too much about this; it was ruining Viktoria's night out. I needed to start acting normal again around her before she realized what was really going on. She probably already knew, with the way I'd flirted with her a few days ago. What a smart move that had been! Seriously, what had I been thinking?!

I snapped out of my reverie when I noticed Viktoria walking down the hall, back to me. She suddenly stopped, though, when someone to her left said something to her when she was passing. It was a group of boys. I didn't know which boy had said something to her, but she sure as hell seemed angry. She flipped them off and started walking again, but one of the boys grabbed her by the arm.

Quickly, I made my way over to them. "Hey! Leave her alone!"

Viktoria looked at me, relieved, and pulled herself free. The boy who'd grabbed Viktoria seemed to be the leader of the gang.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Trying to be the mature one here, seeing as I was the adult, I said politely, "I want you to leave this girl alone."

The boys snickered. "Why?" their leader asked. I wanted to wipe the stupid grin off of his face, but I had to remind myself that it would be an unfair fight, seeing as he was just a kid. An asshole, but still a kid. "Is she your girlfriend or something?" he continued in a taunting voice.

_I wish_. Ignoring his comment, I said warningly, "I asked you nicely once. I won't do it again. So I suggest you step away right now."

The boy looked like he was going to say something, but after glancing around, he probably realized it wasn't a good idea to start a scene in the middle of the crowded movie theater.

"Whatever. She isn't that pretty anyway," he sneered.

Before the boy could do something, I'd grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried pushing me away, but I was too strong. He glanced at his buddies, but I guess they were too afraid to do something.

"You really don't want to make me angry," I told the boy, glaring at him.

"Ivan, please stop," Viktoria said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "It's fine, really. I don't care what he says or thinks about me. Let's just go."

"Apologize to her," I ordered, nodding at Viktoria. "Apologize and I'll let you go. And you better mean it," I added menacingly.

The boy glared at me, but then he gulped and looked over at Viktoria, stammering out an apology. "I-I'm sorry."

I let the boy go and he and his friends quickly scurried off, sending glares my way as they did. When I turned around, I saw several people looking. I realized _I_ was the one who'd made a scene now.

"Let's go," I said to Viktoria, grabbing her hand and leading her away.

"You didn't have to do that," she mumbled.

"I didn't like the way he was treating you," I said gruffly. "The guy's a prick."

Viktoria sighed. "He is, but you didn't have to push him against a wall and make him apologize to me. I don't know if you realize, but you were making a scene out there."

"I realize," I muttered. I stopped walking and she almost bumped into me. Grabbing her arms, I steadied her. "Look," I said sighing. "I'm sorry. You're right; I shouldn't have done that. But I only did it for you. You deserve to be treated better. And what that guy said – about you not being pretty – it's not true. You are. Pretty, I mean." I groaned internally when I realized what I'd said. _Perfect. Just perfect._

Viktoria smiled. "Calm down, Ivan. You don't have to get worked up over it. I know you were only trying to help me." I nodded. She hesitated, but then continued, "And…thank you. That's really sweet of you."

I realized what she was talking about and I quickly looked away, uncomfortable. I'd really slipped up there, calling her pretty. I was being a little bit too obvious about my feelings for her.

Clearing my throat, I said, "We should probably go inside now. The movie is going to start in a few minutes."

I was still angry about the whole ordeal with those jerks while watching the movie. My hands were balled into fists as I watched the movie, but then, suddenly, Viktoria moved her hand on top of mine and squeezed gently. I glanced over at her, but it was too dark to see the expression on her face. Letting out a sigh, I relaxed my hands. I think I saw her smile at me before she removed her hand and focused on the screen again. I wished she hadn't pulled her hand away.

After the movie, I drove her home. Neither of us said a word on the drive home. When I parked the car in front of her house, I finally said, "I'm sorry about what happened. Tonight was supposed to be fun for you, but I guess I kind of ruined it."

She smiled at me. "You didn't. I had fun tonight."

I arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you for taking me out. I really needed it."

I smiled at her, relieved she had some fun even though I'd been acting weird all night. "You're welcome. If you want to get out of the house sometime again, you can just give me a call."

I leaned across the seat to open the door for her. She leaned forward at the same time. I don't really know what exactly happened then – or how it happened – but the next thing I knew we were kissing.

Honestly, it had just been an accident. She'd leaned forward to kiss my cheek – at least I think that was what she'd been going for – but I'd turned to look at her just then and instead of kissing my cheek, she'd kissed me full on the lips.

I was stunned and didn't know what to do. Should I kiss her back or pull away? But before I could do any of those things, she pulled away, a look of horror and shock on her face.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, holding her hand before her mouth. She was blushing furiously. "I didn't mean to-"

"N-no, that's okay," I stammered. "It was an accident." She didn't reply; she just looked away, still shocked. "Right?" I said tightly.

She glanced over at me. "Right."

For some reason, I felt a little sad. It'd been just an accident. She hadn't intended to kiss me and she looked horrified about doing so. She didn't like me. I'd often hoped she did, but now I knew she didn't. Surely if she liked me, she wouldn't have reacted this way.

Nonetheless, my eyes flicked down to her lips again. Even though she didn't like me, I kind of wished I'd just kissed her back. Unconsciously, I licked my lips as I stared at hers.

"Why are you staring at me?" Viktoria asked in a squeaky voice.

I realized I was making her uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," I said quickly, looking away. "I didn't mean to – I was just – I'm sorry."

"Ivan."

I looked at her again. "Yeah?" I said nervously.

Viktoria opened her mouth to say something, but then closed her mouth again and bit her lip. She looked just as nervous as I was.

"Vika?" I said, wondering what she'd wanted to say.

"There's something I need to tell you," she said at last, her voice shaking.

I leaned a bit forward, curious. I started to get my hopes up again. Maybe she did like me; maybe that's what she wanted to tell me.

"Okay," I said, encouraging her to tell me.

She started fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. "I, um, I swear that it was an accident…kissing you."

_Ugh. I guess she doesn't like me, then._

"But I…" She sighed, biting her lip again.

"Vika, you can tell me," I said softly, pulling her hand away from her sleeve and squeezing it gently.

She looked down at our entwined hands and took a deep breath. "I've liked you…for some time now." She looked back up at me, a pleading look in her eyes. "I know it's silly. I mean, you probably don't like me back because I'm just a stupid teenager and-"

_Oh God, she does like me!_ I couldn't stop myself anymore; I leaned in and kissed her. This time,_ she_ was too stunned to respond to the kiss, but I didn't care. I just wanted to let her know that I felt the same way about her.

"I don't think you're just a stupid teenager," I murmured when I pulled away from her.

She blinked a few times, still dazed. Then, slowly, a shy smile spread across her face. "So…you like me back?"

"Hmm no." She looked hurt at that, but then I added, "I'm afraid it's more than that."

She smiled again, blushing. "Why didn't you say something before?"

I sighed. "It's not that simple, Vika. I wish it was, but…"

"Why not?" she interrupted.

"For starters, you're still a minor," I said, "and, well, your brother is going to kill me if he finds out the truth."

"He has no right to get angry at you. He's doing the exact same thing with Rose," Viktoria said scowling. "She's a minor, too."

"I know, but she's one year closer to being an adult," I replied. "That's not all of it, anyway. Dimitri's my best friend and you're his little sister. I shouldn't… I really shouldn't have fallen for you." I sighed. "I don't care what other people think, but I do care about what Dimitri thinks and…the rest of your family, of course."

"They all love you!" Viktoria said. "You're a part of the family! And they know you wouldn't hurt me or anything. And Dimitri…" She paused. "He'll probably be angry at first, but he'll come around."

"I'm not so sure about that," I scoffed.

Viktoria sighed in frustration and crossed her arms. "Then why did you even kiss me? If you don't want to be with me, then why-"

"I wanted to let you know that I feel the same way about you," I interrupted gently, "and…" I hesitated, looking up at her. "I know this is a lot to ask, but…maybe we could wait until you're older?"

"How much older?" she asked sharply.

I flinched. "I don't know… Maybe until you're eighteen? I think it would be less likely Dimitri's going to kill me if I at least waited to be with you until you're an adult," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. But it seemed like she didn't appreciate the joke that much.

"That's two years, Ivan!" she exclaimed. She looked away and shook her head. "Who says you'll still like me then?" she said quietly.

"I _know_ I'll still feel the same way about you, then," I said firmly. I moved closer to her and reached for her hand, lacing our fingers together. "Please, Vika, say that you'll wait for me. Maybe it won't even take that long. I'll – I'll talk to Dimitri and maybe – maybe-" I cut myself off when I saw the lights in the house flicker off and back on.

"I think your mother's waiting for you to come inside," I said sighing. I prayed Olena hadn't been watching through the window all this time, though I doubted she would've seen anything from this distance.

Viktoria nodded and reached for the door. I reached out and pulled her back.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked her. "Tomorrow maybe?"

I saw the hesitation in her eyes, but then she said, "Yeah sure."

I gave her a small smile. "Okay. I'll come by tomorrow then."

"Good night," Viktoria said before she got out of the car and walked across the street to her house.

I waited until she was safely inside before starting the car and driving off. I refrained myself from texting Viktoria as soon as I got home. Instead, I got ready for bed and put all thoughts of her aside as I tried to catch some sleep.

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><p><strong>There you go, Rose decided to forgive Dimitri and now they've made up and are together! :D Hopefully Tasha - or maybe someone else - won't ruin their happiness! And Ivan and Viktoria came clean, too, but they still have some things to talk about before anything can happen. ;)<strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know if you liked this chapter! Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 16<strong>

**DPOV**

The next morning, I went to visit my mother. It was Sunday so the gym was closed. I was relieved; finally some peace and quiet in my life. Later today, Rose would come over and I realized we'd be all alone in the gym. It had never been a problem, but things had changed after yesterday.

"Good morning, Mama," I greeted as I walked into the kitchen.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Good morning, Dimka. How are you?"

"I'm good. I, um, talked to Rose," I said, clearing my throat.

"Oh?" she said, looking at me curiously.

"Yeah. I owe you a thank you," I said. "A big one."

She smiled again. "I take it you told her the truth, then?"

I nodded. "I did."

"And?" my mother pressed.

I shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable talking about this. "And… well, I guess we're together now."

Walking over, she gave me a hug. "I'm glad to hear that. You deserve it, Dimka." Changing the subject, she said, "Have you had breakfast yet?" I shook my head. "I can make you something if you want." I started to protest, but then she ordered, "Sit. I'll make you an omelet. Then you can tell me more about your talk with Rose."

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Mama."

I'd just finished my omelet when I heard the front door open and close and voices filled the hallway. Then, Viktoria walked into the kitchen with Ivan. I looked at them, surprised. Ivan looked equally surprised and Vika just looked uncomfortable, fidgeting with the buttons on her PJs.

"Hey Dimka," Ivan said at last, forcing a smile onto his face. "What's up?"

"Hey," I said slowly. Then I frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Ivan's here to help me with my math again," Viktoria responded quickly. She seemed nervous for some reason.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Dressed like that? You look like you just got out of bed."

She bit her lip. "Yeah, I overslept."

"That's okay," Ivan said, clearing his throat, not looking at her. "I'll just wait here while you get changed."

She nodded and hurried out of the kitchen.

"Have you eaten yet, Ivan?" Mama asked, motioning for him to sit down. "You want an omelet, too?"

"No, thank you, Olena. I already ate," Ivan answered. I looked at him and he glanced away nervously. "Didn't know you'd be here," he said.

"I didn't know you'd be here either," I said, studying him. Why was he acting so strange? "You never told me you're tutoring Vika."

"I must've forgotten," he said with a shrug.

"Well, it's nice of you to do," I said after a pause.

He shrugged again. "It's no problem, really."

Just then, Viktoria walked in again, fully dressed. "I'm ready."

Ivan got up from his seat and followed her out.

"Vika, you haven't had breakfast yet!" Mama called after her.

"I'm not hungry right now. I'll eat later," she called back.

They went upstairs and a few moments later I heard Viktoria's bedroom door shut. I looked at my mother and arched an eyebrow.

"He's tutoring her in her room?" I asked, perplexed. "Why not here?"

Mama shrugged. "If they'd sit here, they'd get interrupted all the time."

"I guess," I muttered. I couldn't help but think there was something strange going on. "How long has Ivan been tutoring Vika? He never told me anything about it."

"A few weeks, I think," she answered. Then she smiled. "He's doing a good job helping her. She has better grades now."

"That's good. I'm glad he's able to help," I said.

Mama persuaded me to stay for lunch and so did Ivan. He'd been tutoring Viktoria all morning. After lunch, Ivan said he had to leave and Vika walked him to the door. I still thought it was weird how close they'd grown – or maybe I just never noticed until now. My mother and grandmother shared a glance and smiled as Viktoria walked back into the kitchen. I frowned as I glanced at the two of them, but neither said a word. Weird.

I looked at Viktoria, but she wouldn't look at me. She just looked down at her plate, her cheeks redder than usual. Was she blushing? I would've expected her to say something about my fight with Rose, but it never came. For once, she was quiet.

As I said my goodbyes to my family and drove back to the gym, I was still mulling it over. I realized something was going on – something I wasn't allowed to know. I didn't know what was going on, but of one thing I was sure: it had something to do with Ivan. I couldn't imagine my best friend would keep secrets from me, but apparently he did – and so did my family as they seemed to be in on it.

Well, if they weren't going to tell me, I would have to find out myself.

**RPOV**

I arrived at the gym the same time Dimitri did. He parked his car and got out with a smile on his face as he looked at me. I smiled back automatically, happy to see him.

"Hi Roza," Dimitri said as he took out his keys and opened the door for me. I stepped inside and he followed. "I thought you were going to come early today?" he teased.

"Hey, I got here before you," I said, turning around to look at him, a grin on my face.

"You got here two seconds before me," he said, narrowing his eyes at me playfully. "That doesn't count."

"I say it counts," I said, sticking out my tongue at him. "It's still two seconds."

Dimitri shook his head, chuckling. "Fine, Roza. You win."

I smiled smugly and walked to the women's locker room to get changed. Practice went well. Last time had been a disaster, I'd been too angry to concentrate on what I was doing – but this time I didn't have a problem with my concentration – well, most of the time, because let's face it, Dimitri was pretty much distracting. And every time he touched or looked at me, it affected me more than usual. It was probably because of what happened between us yesterday. It didn't look like it was affecting Dimitri, though, so I didn't say anything.

After practice, I went to take a shower. I took my time now that I was alone and I didn't have to hurry. When I walked into the lobby half an hour later, I heard noise coming from the office. I walked over and saw Dimitri rummaging through some drawers.

He looked up at my approach and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," I replied, leaning my shoulder against the door frame. Dimitri shut the drawer and got up from his seat. It was quiet for a while as we looked at each other. When the silence became unbearable, I cleared my throat and said, "So, um… I guess I'll be going then."

Dimitri nodded and I started to turn, feeling a little disappointed. I don't know what I'd expected to happen, but I'd kind of hoped he'd ask me to stay a bit longer.

"Rose, wait," Dimitri suddenly said. I turned around and looked at him expectantly. "You…you could hang out here for a while…with me? I mean, if you want to, of course," he stammered, nervous.

I smiled at him. "Yes, I'd like that."

He looked relieved. "Okay."

We went up to his apartment. Dimitri made us some hot chocolate and then we settled down on his couch. A comfortable silence fell as we drank our hot cocoa. I felt Dimitri's stare on me the whole time, a small smile on his lips.

At last, I looked up at him and asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Dimitri quickly averted his eyes. If I was not mistaken, he was actually blushing. _How cute!_ After a few moments, he looked at me again and answered, "Because I can't believe you're here and you're feeling the same way… And, well, because you're really beautiful and I just can't keep my eyes off of you."

Now it was me who was blushing. "You really think I'm beautiful?" I mumbled, looking up at him carefully.

He smiled. "Yes." Slowly, he leaned a little closer and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met in my life," he said earnestly.

My cheeks reddened even more. Dimitri sure knew how to make a girl blush. "I bet you say that to all the girls," I said in a teasing voice, trying to hide my blush.

Dimitri smiled, knowing I was just joking, and then leaned in further, brushing his lips against mine. When he started to pull away, I placed my hands on his cheeks and pulled him back to me, pressing my lips against his. I felt him smile against my lips as he kissed me back. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer until I was practically sitting in his lap. One of his hands tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against mine. I let out a soft moan and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer – if that was even possible. When he pulled away at last, there was a look of adoration on his face as he gazed at me. I smiled and he brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"How long do you think you can stay?" Dimitri asked softly.

Slowly, a grin spread across my face. "I don't know… A few hours?"

He smiled and placed a soft, gentle kiss on my lips. "You wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Sure. But no westerns," I warned.

Dimitri laughed and pecked my lips again. "No westerns," he agreed.

I slid down from his lap and sat down next to him, leaning into his side, as he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Dimitri let me choose the movie and as we watched it, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. Smiling happily, I leaned my head against his shoulder. As I sat there watching the movie with Dimitri, his hand stroking my back gently, I realized I wouldn't mind staying like this with him forever.

After the movie, Dimitri drove me home. No one was there yet and I was tempted to ask Dimitri inside, but my parents could be home any second. So instead, I leaned in and kissed him goodbye.

Just when I was about to get out of the car, Dimitri called me back. "Hey Rose, I need to ask you something."

I sat back down in my seat and gave him a questioning look. "Yeah?"

"It's about Viktoria," he said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Okay," I said slowly, not sure what to think of this.

It was quiet for a few moments.

"Has she ever said something about…liking a certain guy?" he asked at last.

I frowned. "What do you mean, liking a certain guy?"

"You know," he said, looking extremely uncomfortable now, "does she, um, have a crush on someone? Has she told you anything about that?"

I gave him a weird look. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well, she's your friend," he said. "She would tell you this stuff, right?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," I said carefully, not liking where this conversation was heading.

"So…did she tell you anything?" Dimitri asked, his eyes piercing mine.

"No, she hasn't mentioned anyone," I said uneasily. I'd promised Viktoria I wouldn't tell her brother about her crush on Ivan, but I didn't want to lie to Dimitri either. Damn, this was hard.

"Something about Ivan maybe?"

I looked at him, stunned. Had he found out somehow? Or was he just probing? "Ivan?" I said, fidgeting with the zipper on my jacket nervously. "No, she hasn't said anything about him."

It didn't look like Dimitri was buying it. "You sure?" he questioned.

I bit my lip. "Yeah. Pretty sure."

I felt bad about lying to Dimitri, but I couldn't betray Viktoria either. Besides, they weren't even together, so there was no point in telling Dimitri and worrying him for nothing. And if they did get together, Viktoria would tell him in her own time – when she was ready. And, hopefully, she would leave me out of it.

Thankfully, Dimitri let it go. "Alright then. It's just…they've been acting strange lately."

"Oh, well, maybe it's a coincidence," I said quickly. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dimitri muttered, sighing.

I forced a smile. "Well, I should go inside. See you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah." Then he smiled and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. "Thank you for staying after practice. I had fun today."

My smile turned genuine. "Me too."

Dimitri leaned in and pressed his lips against mine softly. "Bye Roza."

"Bye comrade," I murmured before getting out of the car.

When I reached the front door, I turned around and waved at Dimitri as he started the car and drove off. Sighing happily, I opened the door and went inside. My day couldn't have gotten any better.

When I got to school the next morning, the first thing I did was find Viktoria. I was curious about what had happened that caused Dimitri to think she might like Ivan. After searching around the school grounds for ten minutes, I found her in an empty bathroom.

"You're going to have to be more careful if you want your relationship with Ivan or whatever it is to stay a secret," I said smirking.

She spun around on her heels, startled, and then blushed furiously. "W-we're not in a relationship."

"No, but you aren't just friends either," I said, giving her a knowing look.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Whatever. What did you mean by that? That I have to be more careful if I want it to stay a secret?"

"Well, Dimitri is getting suspicious," I explained. "He was asking me if you _like_ someone – Ivan in particular."

Her eyes widened in horror. "No. No, no! He can't know."

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him," I said quickly, trying to ease her mind. "I'm just saying that you have to be more careful when he's around. What did you do anyway to make him suspicious?"

Viktoria sighed. "Well, he visited yesterday," she told me as she turned back to the sink to wash her hands. "I didn't know he was there. If I'd known he'd be there, I wouldn't have asked Ivan to come over. It was so awkward, Rose," she said. "I told Dimka that Ivan was only there to tutor me, but I don't think he bought it."

"Well, was Ivan there to tutor you?"

She shrugged a little. "No…not really. It was mainly just so I could see him."

I had a feeling she was hiding something else from me, but I didn't press for answers. She would tell me in her own time, when she was ready. I hadn't told her either about my feelings for Dimitri until I had no other choice so I could understand if she wanted to keep some things for herself…for now, at least.

"How do you get away with it anyway? Doesn't your mom find it weird that Ivan comes up to your room to 'tutor' you?" I said, making air quotes with my fingers.

"No, she trusts me," she said. A moment after she said that, she groaned and slapped her forehead. "Now I feel bad. Mom trusts me and I'm lying right to her face."

I bit my lip. "Do you think she'll be angry if she finds out about you and Ivan…?"

"I don't know," she said. Letting out a sigh, she slumped down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. I sat down next to her. "We're not even together or anything. We're…" She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what we are."

"I suggest you figure it out before anyone finds out about it," I told her, looking at her sympathetically.

Viktoria buried her face in her hands, moaning. "God, what a mess." Then, suddenly, her head snapped back up. "Hey, since when are you talking to Dimka again? I thought you were still mad at him."

I grinned. "We made up."

She arched an eyebrow, just the way Dimitri always did. I'd tried it a couple of times, standing in front of my mirror, but I just couldn't do it. It was so frustrating.

"Oh?" she said, curious. "Tell me!"

"Promise you won't tell anyone, though?" I asked. "It's not a secret exactly, but…the less people know about it, the better. I don't want my parents to find out I'm dating an older man," I explained, making a face. "Not that he's _that_ much older, but still…"

"I won't tell anyone," she promised. There was excitement in her eyes and she practically demanded, "Now tell me what happened!"

I gave her a short version of what had happened in the gym the day before yesterday. Viktoria was grinning happily as she listened, sometimes squealing in delight.

"I can't believe Dimka said all those things! He isn't big on talking about feelings," Viktoria said when I finished.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm glad he told me," I said smiling. "It was nice to hear."

She nudged me playfully. "I bet," she teased.

"We should go now," I said, glancing at my watch, "before we're late for class."

She nodded and we walked out of the bathroom.

"See you later, Rose," she called before going her own way.

I hurried to my English class. I was surprised to see that I was one of the first to arrive. I took a seat in the back and waited for the teacher to come. Other students poured in. From the corner of my eye, I saw Christian slid into the seat next to mine. I looked up at him, stunned. This was our only class together without Lissa being here and, usually, he barely acknowledged me – let alone sit next to me.

As I stared at him, Christian gave me a tentative smile. I offered him a hesitant smile of my own and then looked away, confused. When Lissa and I'd been inseparable, Christian would avoid looking at me or talking to me except when he was in the mood to taunt to me. Now that Lissa and I weren't talking, he was reaching out to me? Weird.

_Maybe it's the lack of sleep that's taking a toll on me,_ I thought. _Maybe I'm just imagining things._

But later that day, when I was on my way to the cafeteria, I encountered Christian again. And this time, he actually stopped to talk to me.

"Hey Rose," he said, giving me a small smile. "How are you?"

It took me a while to answer; that's how stunned I was. "I'm fine," I responded at last. "Are _you_? Fine, I mean."

He looked at me weirdly. "Yeah, of course." He quickened his pace to catch up with me. "But are you sure you're fine?" he questioned.

If I was not mistaken, there was a look of worry in his eyes – which was even stranger than him talking to me. I stopped walking abruptly and he almost stumbled into me.

"What's going on?" I demanded, looking at him. "Why are you asking me these questions?" Suddenly, realization hit me. "Did Lissa put you up to this?" Christian opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't give him the chance to talk. "Look, if she wants to know how I'm doing, she can just talk to me. She doesn't have to send you."

Christian looked outraged. "Hey, it's not because I'm her boyfriend that I'm her puppet, too. I'm talking to you because I want to."

Okay, now I was really confused. "You want to talk to _me_?" I asked, astonished. I put my hand to his forehead to see if he had a fever. "I think you're ill, Christian. We're not friends, remember? Why would you want to check up on me?"

Christian slapped my hand away and took a step back, scowling. "We're not friends because you never wanted to," he snapped. "The first time you saw me, you'd already made up your mind about me. Without even trying to get to know me."

"You've always been a jerk," I countered. "Always teasing and taunting me-"

"You thought I was a jerk so I started acting like one," he cut me off. "If I was a jerk to you, it's because you made me out to be one."

I looked at him, suddenly feeling bad. It was true that I'd never really given him a chance to be my friend.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"It's fine," he said gruffly. "We were just kids…"

It was quiet for a while.

At last, I sighed and asked awkwardly, "So…what do you want?"

He looked at me, his icy blue eyes boring into mine, and then he shook his head. "Forget it," he muttered, walking away.

"What the hell?" I said more to myself than him as I watched him leave.

I turned around and almost jumped two feet in the air when I found Lissa standing right in front of me, a scowl on her face. It looked like she was going to say something – she probably wanted to ask why I was talking to her boyfriend, as if I had any idea why – but then she let out a frustrated sigh and closed her mouth.

Instead, she shoved something into my hands and stomped away. I called after her, but she ignored me. Sighing, I looked down at the envelope she'd shoved into my hands. I opened it and saw it was an invite to the Dragomir's annual Christmas party.

I'd totally forgotten about it. Normally, my parents and I would go every year, but I'd figured I wouldn't get an invite this year because Lissa was mad at me. Maybe she hadn't told her parents about the fallout and that's why she was inviting me.

Letting out another sigh, I put the invite into my bag and started for the cafeteria again. I knew that if my parents were going to the Christmas party – and I was pretty sure they would considering they were good friends with the Dragomirs – that I would have to go too. What a bummer.

I realized that, for the first time in my life, I didn't want to hang out with Lissa. It seemed like a lot of things in my life had changed lately. I just didn't know if it was for better or worse.

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><p><strong>From now on we'll see a lot more from Christian. Would you like that? ;) For the people wondering what happened with Ivan and Viktoria, it'll be revealed in one of the next few chapters. I couldn't fit their talk into this chapter so you'll read about it later. ;)<strong>**  
><strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you for the reviews. :) **

**I'm sorry for the late update, but my internet has been very crappy this past week and I haven't been feeling well either. I'll try to update the next chapter in a few days. If not, then it'll be somewhere after Christmas. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 17<strong>

**DPOV**

"Where's Tasha?"

Startled, I looked up to see Ivan walking into my office. He closed the door behind him and flung himself in one of the chairs.

"Hmm?" I said distractedly.

I'd been daydreaming about Roza again. It happened a lot lately. Even when she wasn't here, she was distracting me from my work. It was unbelievable.

"Where's Tasha?" Ivan repeated, grabbing the stapler from my desk to play with it. "I haven't seen her in a few days."

I took the stapler out of his hands and put it back onto my desk. "She's staying home this week."

"Why?" he asked, grabbing a folder from my desk this time, browsing it. "Is she ill?"

Sighing, I snatched it out of his hands and put it into the top drawer of my desk. "No, I told her to stay home this week."

Ivan looked at me in confusion.

"Why?" he asked. Thankfully, he didn't grab anything else from my desk.

I smirked. "Why are you asking? Do you miss her or what?"

He looked mortified. "Hell no. I was just wondering… Did she do something to piss you off?"

"You could say that, yeah," I muttered.

When I didn't elaborate, Ivan looked at me expectantly and said, "Well?"

"She was saying stuff about Rose," I told him.

"Like what?" Ivan asked curiously.

I sighed. "She practically said that Rose made the whole thing up… Nathan assaulting her, I mean," I answered reluctantly. "She said that Rose has me wrapped around her finger and that she would accuse me of assaulting her too."

Ivan looked outraged. "That's insane! How did Tasha even find out about this?"

I shrugged. "You know how curious she is. She must have overheard…" I let out another sigh. "Anyway, I told her that Rose didn't make it up, that I'd seen it happen. And then I told her to take the week off."

Ivan scoffed. "You should've fired her. What a jealous bitch."

"If she says one more word about Rose, I will," I said determinedly.

Suddenly, Ivan started grinning. "Look at you, defending Rose's honor. Oh, it must be wonderful to be in love, huh?" he said teasingly.

I glared at him. "Don't start."

"Did you talk to her yet?" he asked, serious again. "Did you tell her how you feel about her?"

Slowly, a smile spread across my face. "I did."

"You did?!" Ivan said, astonished, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And?" he inquired, eager to know more.

I smirked. "Well, let's just say it worked out pretty well for me."

Ivan grinned again. "Ha! What did I tell you?"

"I know. Thanks for your advice, Ivan," I said. "Can't believe it actually worked."

"Hey, I'm great with the ladies," Ivan told me. "I _always_ know what to do or say when it comes to women."

"Yeah? Then why are you still single?" I retorted jokingly.

Suddenly, he looked uncomfortable. It disappeared quickly, though, as he replied, "Hey, this isn't about me right now. It's about you and Rose…finally together. It was about time."

"Yeah, well, don't tell anyone," I said. "I don't want Tasha to find out. So please keep your mouth shut about it."

"Fine," he said with a shrug.

"Alright. Now that you've satisfied your curiosity, you can go back to work," I said. "Rose will be here soon and I still have a lot of paperwork to do. I'd like to finish it before she arrives and I won't be able to if you keep bothering me."

Ivan grinned. "Got it, _boss_," he said, winking.

I rolled my eyes, smiling reluctantly. "Get out, Ivan."

An hour later, I gave up on the paperwork and left the office, deciding to wait for Rose in the lobby. She could be here any moment now. Ivan waved me over from the bar.

"Waiting for your lady?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows, when I walked over to him.

I shot him a glare. "Did you forget our conversation earlier?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. There's no one even within earshot. And I didn't even mention her name."

"Whatever," I muttered. "Just don't say anything."

When I heard the door open and close, I looked up and saw Rose entering. I felt myself smile at the sight of her.

"Hey Ivan," Rose greeted. Then she looked at me and smiled. "Hey comrade."

"Hey Rose," Ivan said, a grin spreading across his face. "What's up? Looking forward to your practice with Dimka?" He glanced at me and his grin widened. "He sure as hell is looking forward to-"

I elbowed him in the ribs. Taking a step forward, I grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her away from the bar. "Don't mind Ivan. He's being an idiot again," I told her, walking her to the women's locker room. "Let's go."

I waited in the smaller gym as Rose got dressed. As soon as she walked in, she grabbed me by my shirt and pushed me against the wall before pressing her lips against mine. I was startled at first, but responded to the kiss immediately, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.

When she pulled away a few moments later, she smiled at me. "Hi."

"Hi," I breathed, stunned. "You know, I really like your new way of greeting me."

She grinned. "So do I."

I smiled and pecked her lips before putting on my 'instructor' face as Rose liked to call it. "Now get on the mats. We still have a lot of work to do."

It turned out we didn't. I was so distracted today that Rose managed to get out of my hold and pin me down several times. Or maybe she was just getting better – which was a good thing. I'd feel a lot better if I knew she would be able to defend herself when she was in trouble and unable to reach me.

When Rose threw me down for the sixth time, she didn't get up. Instead, she just hovered over me, an amused expression on her face.

"You seem distracted, comrade," she said, a twinkle in her eyes. "Something wrong?"

"_You_ are distracting me," I told her.

She grinned, loosening her grip on my wrists. "Me? How come?"

I arched an eyebrow. "You have to ask?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rose said, looking at me innocently.

"You've always been distracting, but I could handle it… That is, until we kissed," I said, meeting her gaze. "Now I can't keep my focus at all anymore."

"Well, you're pretty good at hiding it," Rose said smiling.

"Really? Because I have a feeling I suck at hiding it," I muttered.

My breath faltered when she lowered her body on top of mine and slid her arms around my neck. If she was trying to turn me on, she was doing a great job. Quickly, I put my hands on her waist and tried to push her off.

"Rose, what are you-"

I was cut off when she pressed her lips against mine. I kissed her back eagerly and wrapped one of my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. I loosened the tie in her hair with my free hand and let her hair cascade down her shoulders. I really loved her long hair. At last, she pulled away from the kiss and smiled down at me. I smiled back, gently running my hand through her hair.

"You are so incredibly beautiful," I murmured, looking at her in awe. I had no idea what this girl saw in me, but I wasn't complaining. I was more than happy that she felt the same way about me.

Rose looked away, trying to hide her blush. "Are you kidding me? My hair is a mess, I'm wearing sweatpants and I'm sweaty from all the training!" she said, trying to make a joke out of it.

I laughed softly and sat up as Rose shifted off of me. "Even then, you're still beautiful to me."

She looked at me again, a small smile on her face. Then she sighed and the smile disappeared.

"What's wrong?" I asked, moving closer to her.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you," she mumbled, avoiding my gaze.

"Roza, don't be ridiculous," I said, shocked she'd say something like that.

"You're too good for me," she said quietly. "You've done so much for me and I haven't been able to give you anything in return. You deserve better, Dimitri."

"That's not true, Roza," I argued. "You've given me more than I could've ever dreamed of." When she didn't respond, I continued, "You know what the highlight of my day is? _You._" She looked up at hearing that and I smiled. "It's when you walk through the door here. Even before, I was always looking forward to our sessions. Having you here with me is the highlight of my day. You're all I want."

"Really?" she asked, unsure.

I nodded and leaned in, kissing her softly. "Really." I took her hand in mine and laced our fingers together. "You don't have to _give_ me anything. _You_ are enough."

Finally, that gorgeous smile of hers spread across her face again and she leaned her head against my shoulder. I pulled her into my arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead, and she let out a sigh, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I bit my lip to refrain myself from saying the words out loud. I wanted to, but I wasn't sure if Rose was ready to hear them. So I didn't say anything. _I love you_, I thought.

After a few moments, Rose pulled away from the hug. "You know, I've been thinking about something," she said slowly. "Remember when you said that Nathan probably has other victims?"

I hesitated, but then nodded, not sure why she was bringing this up all of a sudden.

"Well… I got invited to the Dragomir's Christmas party. It's an annual thing," she said. "I'm not really looking forward to going since Lissa and I are still not talking, but I was thinking that it'd give me a chance to talk to Andre again…"

I stiffened when I heard his name. Andre. That was the boy I'd seen her with at her house. I remembered how jealous I'd gotten when I saw him hug Rose and back then Rose and I hadn't even been together. _Get a grip, Dimitri,_ I chastised myself. _There's no reason to be jealous. They're just friends and Rose is your girlfriend now._

"I told you he's friends with Nathan, right?" she continued. "I could ask him if Nathan had any girlfriends on campus. Or other girls he knows. Maybe I can find out who they are and ask them if…if they went through the same thing with him – if not worse." When I stayed silent, she looked up at me and asked, "What do you think?"

"Are you sure Andre is trustworthy?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Andre's my friend," she answered.

"Yeah, but he's Nathan's friend too…"

"I know, but Andre doesn't like the way Nathan acts around girls… He warned me several times to stay away from Nathan," Rose said. "He doesn't know it's already too late for that, of course," she added, her face darkening.

I slid my arm around her waist and pulled her to me. "Well, if you're sure you can trust Andre, I think it'd be a good idea to ask him, yes. He'll probably know."

She nodded. "It's been a while since I've heard from Nathan. I wonder what he's up to. Is he just waiting for me to finally feel safe and then show up again? Or is he really going to leave me alone this time?" She sighed. "I wish I knew what he's planning to do."

"I don't know, Roza," I murmured, stroking her hair gently. "I do know one thing, though. He'll _never_ hurt you again. I promise."

Rose looked at me, a small smile on her face. "You always know how to make me feel better." She leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Thank you, comrade."

I smiled and got up. Holding out my hand, I helped Rose up. "Come on, we should go back. Before Ivan starts to wonder what's taking us so long."

**RPOV**

When I walked out of the locker room and into the direction of the lobby, I saw Dimitri standing behind the front desk. I frowned, confused. What was he doing there? Wasn't that Tasha's job? I waved at Ivan as I passed the bar and then walked over to Dimitri.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked. "Where's Tasha?" Now that I thought of it, I hadn't seen her in a couple of days. "Is she ill or something? Haven't seen her around lately."

"Um, yeah," Dimitri said, avoiding looking at me. "She's…ill."

"Okay. I have a feeling you're lying to me," I said, crossing my arms.

He looked at me. "She's not ill, but she won't be coming to work this week."

"Why?" I asked curiously.

Glancing away, he muttered, "It's nothing."

"It's nothing?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows. "Then why won't you tell me?"

Dimitri sighed. "She said some things…about you. I didn't like it so I told her to stay home."

"What'd she say?"

"Things I don't want to repeat," he answered.

I frowned. "But-"

"Rose, please don't ask. I don't want you to have to worry about it," Dimitri interrupted me. "And I know you will if I tell you. Tasha's just being jealous and that's why she's saying things about you. You shouldn't pay attention to it."

"So you know she likes you?" I said, surprised. "You know she's jealous because we're close?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Wow. Honestly, I thought you didn't know. You seemed so oblivious to her flirting."

"I was just ignoring it," he responded with a shrug.

"And you never told her…you're not interested?" I asked.

"I did," he said. Then he paused and reconsidered. "Well, I hinted at it plenty of times, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. But I think she knew all along that I didn't like her that way; she just didn't want to give up."

"Hmm yeah. I saw that," I said, remembering all the times Tasha had flirted with Dimitri whenever I was around.

"You don't have to worry about Tasha. She won't be a problem anymore."

"She isn't a problem," I told him. "I just…don't really like her."

"That makes two of us," Dimitri said sighing.

I nodded. "Well, I should go home."

I started for the door, but then Dimitri grabbed my arm and stopped me. I turned around to look at him. His hand moved down to mine and he squeezed it gently.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" he asked, sounding a little nervous.

"No," I said slowly, trying to contain the smile that was ready to spread across my face. "Why?"

Dimitri shifted, still holding onto my hand. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come over one night? I mean, after practice…"

"Hmm. I don't know about that," I said playfully, leaning over the front desk. "Maybe you can convince me?"

Dimitri glanced around the lobby. When he saw no one was around, he leaned in and sneaked a kiss. "Please?" he murmured against my lips.

I smiled and kissed him again. "Sure. I'd love to."

He pulled back, grinning happily. He let go of my hand and I made my way to the exit. "Good night, comrade."

"Night, Roza," he responded softly.

The whole walk home, I was smiling. But that smile disappeared quickly, though, when I arrived at my house. The front door flung open and my dad strode outside. I noticed he didn't look very happy.

"Rose, where the hell have you been?" he asked. "I've been trying to reach you for over an hour now. I thought you were coming home straight after school."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Dad," I said, looking at him apologetically. "I guess I didn't pay attention to my phone. But what are you doing here? I thought you had to work."

"No, I'm not on call tonight," he said. "Now, where were you?"

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say. "I…"

"She was with me."

Startled, I turned around and saw Christian.

"Christian?" Dad said, surprised.

"We were working on a school project," Christian lied smoothly. He turned to me and then handed me a book. It was his biology book, to be exact. "You forgot this in my room. Thought you'd need it back before school tomorrow."

"Umm, thanks," I said, a little hesitant, taking the book from him.

Dad looked at me, confused. "So you were just next door this whole time?"

I glanced at Christian out of the corner of my eye. "Um, yeah. That's where I was…the whole time."

Dad glanced between the two of us. "Alright," he said at last. "Maybe you could tell me next time, though, Rose? I was worried."

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said. "It won't happen again."

He nodded, giving me a small smile. "Alright then."

After one last glance at us, he went back inside. I waited until the front door was closed and then turned to Christian.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, perplexed.

"Do what?" he said casually.

"Help me," I said. "Why did you do that for me?"

He shrugged. "Because it looked like you needed it."

I hugged myself against the cold and looked at him. "Thanks," I said hesitantly.

I started to turn around, but then Christian said, "If I were you, I'd be more careful. One of these days, your father is going to find out where you sneak off to after school."

I froze. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

Slowly, I turned back around.

Christian stared at me, hard. "Rose, I know."

I frowned. "Know _what_?"

His face softened. "I know what happened to you."

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><p><strong>What do you think? Does Christian really know what happened to Rose or is he bluffing? ;)<strong>

**I hope you liked the chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Have a nice weekend! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you very much for your reviews! Some of you think Christian's bluffing, some think he knows, and some think he knows about Dimitri... Well, read on and you'll know if he really does know something ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 18<strong>

**RPOV**

"I know what happened to you," Christian repeated when I didn't respond.

My eyes widened in realization. _No, no, no…_ This couldn't be true. He couldn't _know_. That was impossible. Even Lissa didn't know. How the hell could_ he_ know, then?

"Christian, you're freaking me out!" I said, praying that he didn't know about what happened to me, hoping that he was just messing around. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Christian sighed. "My aunt visited a few days ago. She kept ranting about her boss and some girl that comes in everyday at the gym for her private self-defense lessons." He gave me a knowing look and I paled. "She said she overheard them talking. That the girl has been assaulted and that's why she's taking self-defense lessons. But my aunt doesn't believe it; she says the girl is only trying to win her boss over. And according to my aunt, it worked. She was sent home after saying something about it to her boss."

I gulped. "What does that have to do with me?"

Ignoring my comment, Christian continued, "I asked my aunt about the girl. She'd described her and it sounded familiar. And then she told me the name." His eyes pierced mine. "She was talking about you, Rose."

"Your aunt… is her name Tasha?" I asked, my voice trembling. He nodded and I let out a gasp. "Oh God… Christian, I-"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Christian interrupted, his voice quiet. "Why-"

"What?" I said when he stopped abruptly.

"Your father is watching us from the window," he said. "I think you'd better go inside."

There was nothing more I wanted at this moment than going inside and hide from my problems, but I needed to talk to Christian, too. I needed to make sure he wouldn't tell anyone.

"I'll meet you in your room in ten minutes, okay?" Christian said, retreating.

I frowned, confused. "But-"

"Ten minutes," he repeated and then he turned around, walking to his house.

I watched him slip inside his house. Taking a deep, calming breath, I quickly walked to my front door and went inside. When I walked into the living room, my dad was no longer standing at the window. He was lounging on the couch now, appearing casual, like he hadn't just spied on us.

"I didn't know you and Christian had become friends," he said as he scanned the paper.

"We're not friends exactly," I said. "It's for the school project, remember?"

"Oh, right. The school project."

"Yeah. Um, I'm going upstairs now. I still have to do some homework," I said, already going back to the hallway.

"Okay. I'll call you when dinner's ready," Dad called after me.

I rushed to my room and closed the door behind me, locking it. I paced the floor for ten minutes, waiting for Christian to show up in his room. I couldn't believe he knew. Of all people, he had to be the one to find out.

I wondered what he was going to do with this information and whether he believed what Tasha had told him. Did she really think I'd lie about something like that? And when had she overheard Dimitri and me talking about that? I bet it hadn't been an accident; I bet she'd been eavesdropping.

Was that what Dimitri was talking about earlier? Did she tell him she didn't believe I was assaulted? Is that why Dimitri had sent her away?

Finally, I saw the lights go on in Christian's room. I strode over to my window and opened it. Christian opened his and climbed over the sill and into the tree that was planted between our houses. I winced when he almost missed the branch with his foot. A few moments later, he grabbed the windowsill and pulled himself into my room.

"Phew, I hope I'll never have to do that again," Christian puffed.

"You will, because you have to get back to your room later," I told him.

He made a face. "Wonderful."

Silence fell as we stood in the middle of my room. I crossed my arms and looked down at the floor, avoiding his gaze. It made me feel a little bit uncomfortable.

"So…how are you feeling?" Christian asked at last.

My head snapped up and I looked at him in confusion. "Huh? Aren't you going to ask me if your aunt is right? If I really am lying about the fact that I was assaulted?"

"No," he said simply. "I know you're not lying."

I eyed him suspiciously. "How would you know?"

Christian sighed. "You've been acting strange for the past few months, Rose. You've been sneaking off somewhere after school almost every day – now I know that you're going to the gym to learn self-defense. You've also become distant. I don't know what happened between you and Lissa. I guess I'm part of your fallout and I'm sorry about that – honestly. But she told me about the sleepover thing. That you freaked out and ran away. And since then…"

"Since then Lissa is ignoring me," I said flatly.

"Why didn't you tell her?" he asked.

"I tried," I told him, "but she…she didn't want to hear it. She kept talking about you and other stuff. And, honestly, maybe it's better this way. I didn't want anyone to find out anyway."

"Why not?" Christian asked carefully. "Isn't it better that you can talk to someone about it?"

I sighed and looked down again. "I feel ashamed, Christian," I said quietly, tears glistening in my eyes. "And what if people don't believe me? It was my own stupid mistake. It's my fault it happened."

He hesitated, but then asked, "What happened exactly?"

"Remember the party at the beginning of this school year?" I said. He nodded. "There was this guy… We started talking and I… I let him get my drink and he…he drugged me." My bottom lip started to quiver and a traitorous tear rolled down my cheek. "He took me upstairs to the bedroom and…"

"Did he rape you?" Christian asked, his eyes wide in horror.

I shook my head. "He didn't get the chance. He would have, but Dimitri – Tasha's boss – walked in. He got me out of there. He's been helping me since then. He's teaching me how to defend myself."

Christian looked shocked. "Did you go to the police?"

"No," I whispered.

"Rose!" he said, outraged. "Are you out of your mind? You should've gone to the police. You should've-"

"Keep your voice down!" I hissed. "My dad's downstairs. He can't know."

"I don't get it," Christian said, lowering his voice again. "Why didn't you go to the police?"

"It's complicated," I said evasively.

"Does that mean you don't want to explain to me?" Christian asked, crossing his arms.

"Not really," I admitted.

He sighed. "Fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But I really hope you know what you're doing."

"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine," I vowed. "I… I wish I could tell you what's going on, but I can't. It's for your own safety. The less people who know the better."

He studied me. "Do you know the guy who tried to rape you?"

I shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't know him before that night."

"But you have seen him afterwards, right?" Christian pressed.

My head snapped up. "Why'd you think that?"

"The rock that was thrown through your window… It was him, wasn't it?" Christian said, his face darkening. "He's been bugging you ever since, warning you to keep quiet. That's what you meant when you said it's better for my safety if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Christian…" I said, biting my lip. "Please don't-"

"Do I know him?" he asked sharply.

"Christian-"

"Do I know the bastard?" he almost snapped.

I shook my head. "I don't think you do. But it doesn't matter. I'm not going to tell you who it is. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Rose, if this guy is still bothering you and you won't tell me who he is, how am I supposed to protect you, then?"

I stared at him, perplexed. "Protect me? Why would you want to protect me?"

He shook his head, sighing. "Rose… We might not be the best of friends, but that doesn't mean I want to see you get hurt."

I was stunned. Christian seemed like a whole different person now. Maybe he was right the other day; maybe if I'd given him a chance to be my friend I would've realized how nice he could be when he wanted to be.

I gave him a small smile. "You don't have to protect me, Christian. It's not your job. It's mine. I have to protect myself. And Dimitri's there to help me."

"He can't be there for you all the time," Christian protested. "Is there anyone else who knows about this?"

"Only Viktoria," I replied.

He nodded. "So that's why you're hanging out with that girl so often the past few months."

"She's Dimitri's sister," I said. "She was at the party too and helped Dimitri get me out."

It was quiet for a while.

"Christian, you have to promise you won't tell anyone," I said at last, looking at him pleadingly. "That means Lissa also. No one can know, okay?"

He looked at me for a long time. "Okay," he agreed finally. "I won't tell. I promise."

I hesitated, but then said, "I know you are worried and I know you think it's better to go to the police. But, trust me, I can't go. Yet."

"Yet?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "I need more proof. He's a college student and he lives on campus. I thought that maybe he has other victims, you know. Or former girlfriends. They might've noticed some odd behavior. I don't know. I'm hoping I can find something if I talk to them."

"How are you going to find those girlfriends or his other victims – if there are any. Maybe you were his first one."

"I don't think I am," I said, biting my lip. "He really knew what he was doing."

The look on Christian's face was murderous. "God, I can't believe this. Lissa was at the party, too. It easily could've been her."

"No, he wouldn't take her," I assured Christian.

Andre was Nathan's friend. He would be really crazy if he'd tried something with Lissa. Andre was already protective of me; I couldn't imagine what he'd do if Lissa had been harmed. Nathan was smart enough to know that he needed to stay away from Andre's sister.

"How can you be so sure?" Christian said. "If he really has other victims, who says he won't go after other girls? After Lissa?"

"He won't," I said. "And, right now, he wants me. He won't stop until he has me."

"I don't know if you're brave or just plain stupid," Christian said sighing.

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

Ignoring my comment, he continued, "But either way I want to help."

"You can't," I told him. He started to protest. "Look, if you want to help, just keep quiet about it, okay?" I cut him off. "If you want to help me, that's all you can do for now."

"Okay," he agreed, "but I want you to promise you come to me if you need help or if you get in trouble. I don't want something happening to you because you're too stubborn to ask for help."

"Fine," I said, agreeing quickly before he changed his mind about it. It was hard to believe I was confiding in the boy I'd disliked for years instead of my best friend – former best friend now, I guess.

"Good," Christian said, seeming somewhat satisfied. "Then we have a deal."

I nodded. Silence fell once again.

"I should go home now," Christian said, clearing his throat.

"Okay," I said.

He walked back to my window and threw his leg over the sill.

"Christian."

He turned around, giving me a questioning look.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. I hesitated, but then continued, "And I'm sorry for judging you without knowing you."

Christian gave me a small smile. "Good night, Rose."

And then he was gone.

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><p><strong>Aww, isn't Christian a sweetheart? I know the chapter <strong>**is short, but I wanted to give you something because I won't be able to update until the end of this week or the start of next week. See it as a Christmas present ;)**

**Merry Christmas everyone! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

**P.S. There's a flashback in this chapter. It's about Viktoria's and Ivan conversation when Dimitri visited in chapter 16. I'd written that chapter in his POV so I couldn't write their conversation so I'm putting it here now in a flashback. Just letting you guys know so you won't be confused ;)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 19<strong>

**VPOV**

"Viktoria, you've been quiet the past few days," my mother noted during dinner. "Is something the matter?"

I blinked, snapping out of my haze, and looked at her. "Um, no. Everything's fine." She looked uncertain as she studied my face for any lies so I faked a smile. "I'm fine, really. Just tired, I guess."

"Okay," she said at last.

I pushed my food around my plate, not feeling hungry. I felt my grandmother scrutinizing me, but I refused to look up. She could read my face easily and the last thing I wanted was for her to find out what was really going on in my mind.

"Can I go upstairs?" I asked after a few moments of silence had passed. "I still have some homework to do and I'd like to go to bed early tonight." Mom glanced down at my plate. Before she could say something, I said, "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked again.

"Yes, of course. Like I said, I'm just tired," I lied.

I got up and quickly left the room before my mother could stop me. I could hear my grandmother grumble something under her breath, but I didn't pay any attention to it.

Back in my room, I let myself fall onto my bed and closed my eyes, letting out a big sigh. The past few days, I'd been thinking non-stop about my last conversation with Ivan. I knew that if Dimitri hadn't shown up that day, it could've gone a whole lot differently – and a whole lot better. But, unfortunately, my brother's presence had ruined it all. It had ruined the possibility of me and Ivan getting together.

"_God, Vika, couldn't you have told me Dimitri was going to be here?" Ivan said in a hushed tone as we walked up to my room. "I wouldn't have come if-"_

"_I didn't know he was going to be here," I interrupted, opening the door to my room. _

"_Did you see the look on his face?" Ivan said, distraught. "I don't think he believes I'm here to tutor you. Shit. I should've just told him weeks ago I was tutoring you. Then he would have believed it now."_

"_Ivan, calm down," I hissed, shutting the door behind him. "Nothing even happened! There's no reason to get worked up about it."_

"_Nothing happened?" he said, incredulous. "What about last night? When we kissed?" _

"_He doesn't know about that," I told him. "How could he even know? He wasn't there. Trust me, if he did know, he would've reacted differently."_

"_Right," Ivan muttered sullenly. "He would've beaten my face to a bloody pulp."_

_I scowled. "Dimka wouldn't do that. You're his best friend."_

"_I won't be any longer when he finds out I kissed his little sister!"_

_He was really worked up now and I realized he was genuinely worried that he'd lose his best friend if Dimitri ever found out about this. _

_With a sigh, he sat down on my bed and buried his face in his hands. "What a mess," he muttered. _

_Tears sprang in my eyes. "Then why are you even here? Last night, you said you wanted to talk about…what happened. That we could work it out maybe and now-"_

_Ivan looked up at me, regret written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Vika. I didn't mean to snap at you. Of course I want to talk about this and I want to find a way to make it work – I really do – but…"_

_I sat down next to him on the bed. "But what?" I asked hesitantly, knowing this couldn't be good._

"_But I don't think it's possible," he finished. _

"_Why?" I asked, refusing to give up so soon. "Because of Dimitri? We don't have to tell him. We can keep it a secret for a while."_

_He sighed and looked at me. "I barely dare to look at you when Dimitri's in the same room, afraid he'll notice something – and we're not even together or anything. I already feel guilty for liking you. I'd only feel more guilty if I got together with you and…and I kept it a secret from your brother."_

"_Then we should tell him," I said. "We'll tell him and everything will be fine."_

_I looked at him pleadingly, but he shook his head._

"_It won't be fine," he said softly. "He won't accept it. He won't even accept the fact that he's in love with Rose. He doesn't want to be with her even though he clearly loves her. Because she's a minor. Why the hell would he accept us then?" _

_He started to get up so I followed his lead. _

"_So it's over, then?" I asked, my voice trembling. What the hell was I saying? There'd never been something between us so how could it be over? _

"_It's just not possible," he said, shaking his head. "At least not now. I'm sorry."_

I wondered if Ivan would change his mind if he knew that Rose and Dimitri were together now. Honestly, I didn't think so. I was pretty sure Dimitri had told Ivan that he'd finally gotten together with Rose. If it had made any difference for Ivan, he would have come over by now and told me so. But he hadn't so I guess he'd made his choice.

So, now, all my hope was gone and I knew I had to get over him. Easier said than done, I know, but it had to happen. I couldn't keep wallowing over him. My family started to notice something was wrong and I knew Rose was worrying about me too. She hadn't said anything so far, but I'd seen her giving me concerned looks.

I'd contemplated on telling her what had happened. A part of me wanted to tell her everything, but another part of me just wanted to forget about the whole thing. Like it had never happened. If I'd tell her, I wouldn't be able to pretend anymore. Then it'd be real.

"Viktoria, there's someone here to see you!"

Startled, I sat up in bed.

"Viktoria!" my mother called again from downstairs.

Sighing, I left my room. "Who is it? I'm not really in the mood for-"

I stopped when I noticed Ivan standing at the bottom of the stairs, next to my mother. He gave me a tiny smile. I just stared at him, stunned.

"Ivan told me he's here to tutor you," Mama said, looking confused now when she saw the surprise on my face. "Did you forget?"

I glanced at Ivan, uncertain. _What the hell is he doing here?_ "Um, yeah. I guess I forgot about that. Sorry."

Ivan cleared his throat. "Um, I guess I can come back some other time-"

"No, it's fine," I said quickly.

"Alright. Then I'll leave the two of you to work," Mama said, returning to the kitchen.

Ivan walked up the stairs and stopped in front of me. "Hey, I'm sorry for barging in like this. I didn't know what to tell your mother so I said I was here to tutor you."

I was still confused as to why he was here, but I started to get curious, too. "Um…that's fine. We'll just go to my room and…talk."

He followed me to my room and closed the door behind him. There was an awkward silence as we stood there in my room. Avoiding his gaze, I walked over to the other side of my room and looked out the window, waiting.

At last, Ivan cleared his throat. "I feel really bad about the way we left things…"

I nodded, still looking out the window, not daring to meet his eyes.

"I wanted to apologize," Ivan said.

"It's fine," I said quietly. "I understand."

Another silence fell.

"So… Dimitri and Rose got together," Ivan said after a few more awkward moments.

Finally, I looked up at him. "I know."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Rose told me."

He nodded. He glanced away briefly before meeting my eyes again. "Well… I was thinking… I mean, I've been wondering if-" He cut himself off and then muttered something under his breath. Shaking his head, he said, "Screw this."

And then, suddenly, he walked over in quick strides. Taking my face in his hands, he pressed his lips against mine, kissing me passionately.

"I don't want to stay away from you anymore," he said when he pulled away.

I stared at him, wide-eyed. This was the last thing I'd expected from him.

"I've been telling Dimitri that he has to go for Rose, that he has to stop thinking about what people would say and just act on his feelings. And all this time I've been doing the opposite when it comes to you. I'm done with that," he said firmly. "So I'm going to take my own advice and stop thinking about what Dimitri would say. If he truly is my best friend, he'll understand. If not…" He paused. "Well, then that's too bad. I'm going to be with you no matter what. That is, if you still want to be with me," he added, uncertain as he looked at me, gauging my reaction.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes. I had to admit his little speech had moved me.

Ivan frowned. "Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

I shook my head quickly and gave him a watery smile. "No, they're happy tears. I'm happy."

He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb and smiled. "If you're happy, I'm happy too."

Slowly, he leaned in and kissed me again. It was a slow and sweet kiss. It melted my heart completely. When he pulled away at last, I opened my eyes to look at him and let out a dreamy sigh. He flashed me a grin and then wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to him. I buried my face in his chest and smiled; more than happy to finally be in his arms.

**RPOV**

"Mom, Dad, I'm leaving now!" I called from the hallway as I put on my jacket. "Good night!"

"Don't we have to pick you up at your friend's house?" Dad asked as he walked into the hallway. "What's her name again? Viktoria?"

"Yeah, Viktoria," I said. "And no, you don't have to. I already have transport."

"Okay," he said. "Good night, then. And have fun with your friend."

"Thanks, Dad," I said, forcing a smile.

I felt a little bad about lying to him. I wasn't going to Viktoria at all; I was going to Dimitri. It was Saturday night and I'd kind of wanted to stay with Dimitri after practice so we could have dinner together, but my parents were both at home tonight – which was rare – so they wanted to have dinner with me. It was sort of a rule that when they were both at home, we ate dinner together as a family. Which meant I'd had to go back home after practice.

"Hey comrade," I greeted him happily when I finally arrived at the gym. "Sorry it took so long."

Dimitri smiled and leaned in, kissing my cheek. "That's fine, Roza. I'm just glad you're here."

He took my hand and led me upstairs to his apartment. He opened the door for me and I went inside, taking off my coat.

"I'm glad to be here," I said smiling.

Dimitri's face lit up; it was adorable. "I know you already had dinner, but, umm, I kind of made something for you. Figured you'd like it."

"What?" I asked curiously.

Grinning, he pulled me to the kitchen and opened the fridge, taking out a container.

"Brownies?" I exclaimed, excited, when he opened the lid.

"I know you're a sucker for chocolate," Dimitri said smiling. "I thought that if we couldn't have dinner together, I could at least make you dessert."

"Awe, comrade, you're the best!" I said, hugging him. "I can't believe you made these for me. That's so sweet." I pulled away from the hug, grinning, and then kissed him on the lips. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he said, still smiling.

Grabbing his hand, I pulled him to the couch. We sat down next to each other and I held up the container for him.

"No, you try first," Dimitri said.

I shrugged. "Okay," I said happily, taking a brownie. Carefully, I took a bite and moaned at the sweet taste. "Oh my God, comrade, these are so good," I said, taking another bite.

Dimitri looked happy. "Glad you like them."

I smiled and took another brownie. "Seems like you got your mother's cooking skills."

He chuckled. "Hardly."

As I ate my brownie, I remembered something important. I'd been planning to talk to Dimitri about it as soon as I came in, but the brownies had distracted me.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," I said when I'd finished eating my brownie.

"What is it?" Dimitri asked, immediately alert. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, but it's nothing to worry about," I said quickly so he wouldn't start freaking out. "I mean, not really."

He looked at me, curious. "Okay. Tell me."

"My neighbor found out," I told him. He looked confused so I elaborated, "About me being assaulted…"

Dimitri frowned. "How?"

"Apparently, Christian – my neighbor – is related to Tasha," I said, giving him a pointed look.

"Oh," Dimitri said, a look of realization crossing his face.

"Yeah, she didn't know Christian knows me, though," I said, "but Christian put the pieces together. He'd already been suspicious something was wrong."

"Is he going to tell?" Dimitri asked, alarmed.

I shook my head. "He won't tell."

"I can't believe Tasha would do that," Dimitri muttered. Then he reconsidered. "Well, actually I can. But still…"

"She was mostly ranting about you believing me," I said. He frowned again. "Is that why you sent her away? Because she thinks I'm a liar and that I made everything up and that you're a fool for believing me?"

Dimitri shifted, uncomfortable. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. She had no right to say those things."

"Why didn't you tell me the real reason you sent her away?"

"I didn't want you to be upset," he answered, reaching out to hold my hand. "You already got enough to worry about; I didn't want you to worry about this too."

"I'm not worried," I said. "Now I just hate Tasha even more than I already did."

Dimitri sighed. "I'm sorry, Roza. I know I should've told you."

"It's fine, comrade," I said, squeezing his hand. "It's not your fault."

"So…how much does Christian know?" Dimitri asked. "Does he know everything?"

"No, he doesn't and I'd like to keep it that way," I answered. "For now, at least. He seems willing to help, though."

"You trust him?"

"Oddly, I do," I said slowly. "He's never really been my friend and my dislike of him only grew more when he started dating Lissa. But now… I don't know. I was wrong about him." I shook my head and sighed. "Honestly, he seems more like a friend now than Lissa ever has been," I scoffed. "I mean, she never noticed something was wrong and I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't hear me. Christian on the other hand… He noticed from the start that something was going on with me, had asked me about it and he wasn't even my friend."

"He is now," Dimitri said.

I smiled a little. "I guess so." I let out a sigh and then moved closer to Dimitri, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about it anymore. I just want to be with you and not think about anything for a while."

Dimitri smiled. "I like that idea."

I grinned and leaned in, kissing his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, as he kissed me back passionately. I closed my eyes and melted into his embrace. I let out a soft moan when his tongue traced my bottom lip. I parted my lips, granting him entrance, and his tongue brushed against mine. Slowly, I felt him lower me onto the couch as he continued to kiss me. My arms tightened around his neck and I pulled him closer.

"Roza," Dimitri murmured as his lips moved down my jaw and to my neck, sucking on my sweet spot.

I bit down on my lip, trying to keep myself from moaning, but I failed miserably. Finally, Dimitri's lips met mine again and he kissed me fervently. But then, out of the blue, I started to feel nervous as something came to my mind. I pulled away from the kiss.

"Um, Dimitri," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "There's something you need to know…"

He sat and looked at me with worry in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, easing his mind, "it's just…" I felt a little bit embarrassed talking about this, but I had to get it off my chest or else I would keep feeling nervous like this. "I've never had sex before," I blurted out after a few moments of hesitation. "And I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet after…after what happened with Nathan," I finished in a whisper.

Dimitri looked at me, ashen. "Roza, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything," he said at last. He let out a groan and shook his head. "God, I didn't – I don't want you to think that's all I want from you, Roza. Now I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad," I said, taking his hand in mine. "You're not making me feel uncomfortable, comrade. I just thought… I thought I should tell you, you know. You're older and, well, you've got a lot more experience than me in this area…" I flinched as I heard myself talk. God, this was so awkward and embarrassing. _Kill me now!_ "And you probably want more than this, but I'd like to take things slow."

Dimitri squeezed my hand gently. "Roza, you don't have to worry. I'd never force you into anything you don't want to. I can wait until you're ready."

"And what if it takes too long?" I asked, biting my lip.

"I'll wait as long as it takes," he said earnestly. "I don't care if it takes a few months or a few years. Besides, you're not eighteen yet. So it's definitely not going to happen before then."

I looked at him in surprise. "And what if I'm ready before I'm eighteen?" I challenged.

He shrugged. "That's too bad, then," he said with a slight grin on his face. "We're not having sex before you're eighteen."

I was relieved that Dimitri wasn't upset that I didn't want to have sex with him yet. But, really, should I have expected any different from him? He's always been a kind and gallant man. Why would he react differently now?

"You really don't have to worry, Roza," Dimitri said gently when I didn't say anything. "I'd never do anything you don't want me to. I'd never hurt you." He squeezed my hand again. "I want you to feel safe with me and comfortable-"

"I feel safe with you," I interrupted. I looked up at him and continued, "I trust you – more than anyone else. I know you'd never hurt me. I know you'd stop immediately if I asked you to. You are the only person I feel completely safe with. I just…felt like I should tell you."

He nodded. "Okay. But if you ever don't feel comfortable, then please tell me."

"Okay," I agreed.

"Promise?"

I smiled. "I promise."

Dimitri still looked uncertain so I leaned forward and kissed his lips. "Seriously, don't worry. I just wanted to tell you – give you a heads-up. You didn't do anything that made me feel uncomfortable."

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. "I love you, Roza."

My heart skipped a beat. _Oh my God, did I hear that right? Did he just say he loves me?_ "Y-you do?"

His eyes met mine and he nodded. "I do," he whispered. He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against mine. "I love you."

Slowly, a smile spread across my face. "I love you too, comrade."

A look of surprise crossed his face, but then it changed to one of happiness and relief. He smiled widely and kissed me again, more passionate this time. Before I knew it, I was lying down on the couch again with Dimitri on top of me.

"Tell me if you-" he started.

I put my finger to his lips and whispered, "Just kiss me."

He smiled and he moved his lips against mine. One of his hands tangled in my hair while the other drifted down to my waist, resting there, as our lips continued to move in sync. Slowly, his hand slipped under my shirt. He hesitated, as if he was waiting for me to stop him, but then he moved his hand further and rested it on my back.

After a while, Dimitri pulled away again and shifted off of me before lying down next to me on the couch. His hand was still under my shirt, caressing my skin. I had to admit that I liked it – something I'd never expected to happen so fast after what Nathan had done. I bet that if it was any other guy touching me right now, I'd be running for the hills. But not with Dimitri. I trusted and loved Dimitri; I knew he'd never hurt me. I let out a sigh and snuggled closer to him, burying my face in his neck.

Lifting my head, I kissed his lips. "Thank you," I murmured.

"For what?" he asked.

"For respecting me," I answered.

"Roza, that's only normal," Dimitri said quietly. "Every guy should respect you. Otherwise they don't deserve you."

"Okay," I said, "but you…you do more than that. You are so nice to me – and sweet – and…you're so understanding about everything. So…thank you."

He smiled warmly. "I'm so glad I met you, Roza." Then he frowned a little. "Though I wish it had been under different circumstances."

"Me too," I said softly, resting my head on his chest.

Dimitri pressed his lips against my forehead. I let out a contented sigh and closed my eyes. I could fall asleep any second now and I knew I wouldn't have any nightmares when I was lying in Dimitri's arms, the only place I felt truly safe.

When it was time to go, Dimitri offered to drive me home. I was going to say no, tell him he didn't have to, but he insisted.

"I don't want you all alone on the streets this late at night," he said.

The drive to my house was short – too short, really. I didn't want to say goodnight to Dimitri yet.

"Thank you for driving me home," I said.

"It's fine, Roza. You don't have to thank me. There's no way I would've let you walk-"

He was cut off abruptly when there was a loud knock on the window. I jumped a little in my seat and looked up. My eyes widened when I saw my dad standing on the pavement.

"Shit," I muttered.

I started to open the door and my dad stepped back so I could get out of the car. I heard Dimitri open the door on his side, too.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I live here?" he said dryly.

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, _here_. Outside."

"I saw this car stop in front of my house and wondered what the hell it was doing here," he answered. He looked at Dimitri. "I thought you said you were with Viktoria. I didn't realize she was in fact a _he_," he said, glaring at Dimitri.

"Dad, calm down please," I said, exasperated. "This is Viktoria's brother. His name is Dimitri and he was kind enough to drive me home."

"Oh," Dad said, relaxing slightly. "Okay." He extended his hand and shook Dimitri's. "It's nice to meet you, Dimitri. I'm Abe Mazur, Rose's father."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Mazur," Dimitri replied politely. He glanced at me briefly before saying, "I should go now. Good night."

"Good night," I said, suppressing a sigh.

Dimitri offered me a smile before getting inside his car. I waved at him as he drove off and then turned to look at my dad, who was already looking at me.

"So is Dimitri just your friend's brother or is he your _friend_ also?" Dad asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God, Dad," I groaned, looking away from him nervously, "don't be ridiculous. I do not like him if that's what you're thinking."

"Hey, I didn't say anything," he said with a shrug. "Now get inside. It's time for bed, young lady."

"Dad, don't talk to me like I'm a child," I complained. "And it's the weekend!"

He chuckled and gave me a little push towards the door. "Just get inside, Rose. It's cold out here."

"Why are you up so late anyway?" I asked as I walked into the hallway. "I thought you had an early shift tomorrow."

"I do, but I wanted to wait until you got back," he answered. "See you're safe and alright." I smiled at that. "Be quiet when you go upstairs; your mom's asleep," he added as he started for the stairs. "Good night, Rose."

"Night, Dad," I said, suppressing a yawn.

When I was alone, I took out my phone and texted Dimitri. _Sorry about my dad. He can be pretty intimidating when he wants to be, but it's nothing personal._

Dimitri's reply came quickly. It's fine. _Don't worry about it, Roza. Sweet dreams. _

_Good night, comrade_, I texted back.

I quietly made my way to my room and changed into my PJs. I brushed my teeth and then crawled into bed. Checking my phone one last time, I read Dimitri's new text message.

_I love you._

A smile spread across my face. I put my phone back onto my nightstand and lay down, snuggling into the covers. Soon, I fell asleep, the smile still on my face.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, wasn't that sweet? It's going well for both couples. Hopefully it stays that way :)<strong>

**Next chapter will be the Christmas party and there will be another confrontation between Rose and Lissa. ;)**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter and have a nice day/evening! ^^**


	20. Chapter 20

**Happy New Year! May this year bring you lots of happiness and joy! ;)**

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 20<strong>

**DPOV**

"Well, I'm back."

Slowly, I looked up from my paperwork and looked at Tasha. Her face was unreadable. I could tell she was still angry, though, by the tone of her voice.

"Good," I said. "Hopefully this doesn't have to happen again."

She looked at me stonily. "It won't."

She started to leave, but I called her back.

"Tasha," I said. She looked at me questioningly. "I don't want you talking about Rose to anyone anymore, do you hear me? Not even your family."

She looked stunned. "What – I didn't – how do you know that?"

"I think you know," I said, giving her a pointed look. "Your nephew, Christian, knows Rose pretty well. Thanks to you, he knows what happened to her. You shouldn't have known in the first place and now you're telling other people?"

She flushed bright red. "But, Dimka, I – I didn't know Christian knows Rose. I didn't know they're neighbors."

"That doesn't matter," I said, my voice hard. "It isn't your business to tell people about what happened to Rose. Only Rose can do that. And I know you don't believe Rose," I added when I saw the look on her face, "so why would you even do it? Are you out to hurt her?"

"N-no," she stammered. "I just… I just needed to vent. I said it before I realized-"

"Well, vent about everyone – vent about me for all I care – but not Rose," I told her. "If I hear you've been gossiping about her, you're out."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, but then her face turned impassive. "Fine," she spat. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, you can go now," I said smoothly.

If she hadn't been angry when she'd walked in, she sure was now. She shot daggers at me with her eyes and then brusquely turned around and left my office, slamming the door shut.

I sighed in relief, glad she'd left. Everything she did or said rubbed me the wrong way lately – especially the things she'd said about Rose. Just thinking about it, made me angry again.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Rose came in after school, which brightened my day. She was getting really good and soon she wouldn't need me anymore to teach her how to defend herself. She'd be fine on her own.

"I'm so proud of you, Roza," I told her after practice. I draped my arm over her shoulders and pulled her to me, kissing her temple.

She looked up at me, grinning. "Thanks, comrade. It's all because of you, really."

I shook my head. "No, Roza. I'm just helping you. You're doing the hard work here."

Rose stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "I'm going to take a shower. See you in a bit."

She left for the women's locker room and I went to my apartment to take a quick shower myself. When I returned back downstairs, Rose wasn't there yet. I was surprised to see my sister sitting at the bar, though.

"Hey Vika, what are you doing here?" I asked as I approached her.

She turned to look at me and smiled. "Hey Dimka!"

I stopped next to her. "Why are you here?" I asked, worried. Usually, she never came here. "Do you need something? Did something happen?"

"Oh no, I'm fine. I'm just waiting for Ivan's shift to end," she replied, glancing at Ivan. He gave her a small smile. "He's going to help me with my math."

"Again? I didn't realize you sucked that bad," I teased.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, swatting at me with her hand.

Ivan grinned. "She's getting better at it. But yes, she sucked pretty bad when we started."

Now she turned on Ivan, swatting him too. "Stop it! I'm not that bad!"

Ivan chuckled. "We're just teasing you, Vika."

She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Aww, don't be mad," Ivan said, still grinning.

Viktoria stuck out her tongue at him and he laughed. I raised my eyebrows as I watched them; it was like they'd forgotten I was here while they teased each other.

"Hey."

I looked at Rose and gave her a smile. "Hey."

Rose looked at Viktoria and Ivan. They hadn't even seen her walk over. "Hello!" she said, waving her hands in front of Viktoria's face. "What are you doing here?"

Viktoria blinked in surprise and tore her gaze away from Ivan. "Oh, Rose! Hi! What's up?" she said, smiling brightly. "I'm here for Ivan." As soon as she said that, she flushed and then added quickly, "I mean, I'm here for his help. He – he's going to help me with math again."

Rose smirked. "Right."

Ignoring Rose's comment, Viktoria turned to me. "Is it okay if we go up to your apartment?" she asked sweetly. "Sonya and Karolina are home with the kids and it's just too much noise."

"If it's not okay, we can always go to my place? I'll drop you off at home afterwards," Ivan suggested.

I shot him a glare. No way was he going to take my sister home with him. "No," I said quickly. "You can go upstairs. I don't mind."

"Thank you!" Vika exclaimed happily, hugging me.

"No problem," I said. "Just…don't make a mess."

"Of course not," she said grinning.

Rose sat down on the bar stool next to Viktoria and whispered something in her ear. They started giggling immediately. I looked at Ivan and raised an eyebrow. He just shrugged and continued with his work.

"I've got to get home," Rose announced after a few minutes. She hopped off the stool and grabbed her bag from the floor. "See you around."

"Bye Roza," I said softly, offering a smile.

"Oh? Isn't she getting a goodbye kiss?" Viktoria said teasingly, amusement in her eyes.

I looked at her, incredulous. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "You can stop the act, Dimka. I know you two are together."

Rose smiled guiltily. "Sorry, comrade. She practically heard everything when we were fighting so I figured I'd tell her the rest, too."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" I asked Viktoria.

She shrugged. "I guess I forgot. Congrats, brother," she said, patting my shoulder with a grin on her face. "I'm glad you finally found a woman. Was about time, too."

Ivan started laughing and I glared at him. I looked back to my sister and opened my mouth to say something in return, but Rose cut me off, "Anyway, I really got to go now. See you, guys."

To my surprise, Rose reached up and kissed the corner of my mouth

"Bye comrade," she said, squeezing my hand before making her way to the exit.

I smiled, happy, ignoring Ivan's and Viktoria's teasing. My smile disappeared quickly, though, when I noticed Tasha glaring at me from where she stood at the front desk. No doubt she'd seen it. And no doubt she was thinking that Rose had me wrapped around her finger and that I was a fool for believing anything she said.

_Well, I don't care what she's thinking_, I thought, turning away from her. _I don't care at all._

**RPOV**

Boring. That's the only way how I could describe this year's Christmas party. Don't get me wrong, the Dragomirs had once again gone out of their way to make every guest feel welcome in their home and make sure things stayed interesting, but this year was different. Maybe because Lissa was hating my guts right now. Usually, I'd hang out with Lissa and we'd always have a blast with our friends. But now I stood with my parents, waiting impatiently for this night be over.

Adrian should be here, too, with his parents, but he hadn't shown up. He had other obligations, he'd told me. I bet he'd gotten an invitation to some exclusive party. I wish he'd taken me with him.

There were two new people present tonight, though. Christian and Avery. I'd expected Christian to be here, now that he was Lissa's boyfriend. But Avery? Come _on. _I still couldn't believe Lissa was friends with that girl. They'd always been rivals, but now that I was out of the picture, they suddenly were best friends – probably because of their mutual hatred for me.

It pained me to think Lissa hated me, but I wasn't going to keep trying to make it up to her. I'd apologized profusely for walking out on her that night and I'd tried to make it right a numerous of times. Well, if that wasn't enough, then so be it.

Bored out of my mind, I walked over to the buffet to grab something to eat. There was a girl in front of me I hadn't seen here before. She looked familiar to me, though. Suddenly, I realized she was Viktoria's friend. Even though I hung out with Viktoria now at school, I'd never spoken to this girl before.

I think she'd noticed me staring at her, because she looked up, brushing a strand of brown locks behind her ear, and gave me a smile. "Hey Rose."

"Hey," I said, startled. I racked my brain, trying to remember her name. "You're… Maya, right? Viktoria's friend?"

Her smile widened. "Yeah, that's me."

Laughter erupted from the other side of the room. When I looked up, I saw Lissa and Avery giggling while Christian looked bored as hell. I smirked at him; he noticed and he grinned at me, giving me a small wave. Lissa noticed our small exchange and turned to glare at me. I sighed and looked away before she came over and made a scene.

"So it's true you and Lissa had a fallout," Maya observed.

I shrugged, suddenly feeling sad. "Kind of."

"What happened?" she asked flat out.

I looked up at her, surprised at her bluntness. "We grew apart," I responded. It was true, but it wasn't the reason why Lissa was hating on me right now.

"You sure nothing else happened? Cause it seems like that girl hates you," Maya said, glancing over at Lissa. "Which is strange considering you used to be best friends."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

Maya crossed her arms, studying me, her big blue eyes piercing mine. "Fine, you don't have to answer that. It isn't any of my business."

"True," I quipped.

"I don't know if you're going to appreciate what I'm about to say," Maya said, "but I think you're better off without her. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but the way she's acting towards you… Well, it's childish. You deserve better."

"Um, thanks?" I said, not sure what else to say. It was quiet for a while. I started to fill my plate with all kinds of desserts. "Is this the first time you've been here? I've been at every Christmas party here, but I've never noticed you around before…"

"No, this is the first time and hopefully the last," she replied. "I'm only here to support my boyfriend." She pointed at a boy I didn't know. He stood with his parents – at least, I assumed they were his parents. They were currently talking to the Dragomirs.

"Oh, look at that, Lissa's boyfriend is coming over," Maya said smirking. "Could he be bored of her?"

"No way," I said, looking up. "Christian adores Lissa. He could never get bored of her."

Maya pouted. "Too bad. He's kinda cute." I looked at her with raised eyebrows and she winked, letting me know she was only joking. "Maybe I'll see you later."

She smiled at me and then left, joining her boyfriend again.

"Hey Rose," Christian greeted with a smirk, his hands in his pockets. "Having fun?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, just as much as you are having fun."

He made a face and then shrugged a little. "Well, it's my duty to be here as Lissa's boyfriend, I guess."

"You shouldn't have to be here if you don't want to," I told him.

"It's not that bad," he said, shrugging again. "Just wish Avery had stayed home. Can you believe she's even worse than you are?"

I knew he was only joking, but I still shot him a glare. "I don't like to be compared to that mindless bitch so I'd be careful, Christian, because I'm just starting to like you."

He flashed me a grin. "Awesome. My destiny is fulfilled. Rose Hathaway likes me."

I rolled my eyes, smiling reluctantly. "You're still a weird kid, though."

"Right back at ya," he said, nudging me with his elbow. "So…how are things going?" he asked, changing the subject. He looked up at me, hesitant. "You, um, okay?"

I already knew where this conversation was heading so I quickly said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't…seen him anymore so." I shrugged. "I'm fine."

I'd kind of expected to run into Nathan here, seeing as he was friends with Andre. His other friends were all here but not Nathan. I wondered why. Not that I was complaining. I wanted to stay as far away from Nathan as I could.

"Okay. That's…good," Christian said.

I nodded. Looking up, I saw Lissa staring at us, an incredulous look on her face. When she noticed me looking at her, her stare turned hard and her fists clenched.

"Um, I think you should go back to your girlfriend," I said, glancing away from her. "I don't want to piss her off even more than I already have and apparently talking to you pisses her off." I laughed humorlessly. "Who could've thought that? A few months ago, she would've loved for us to get along and now…she gets angry when I talk to you."

Christian smirked. "I guess I should be going then before one of you start a catfight."

I rolled my eyes. "Bye Christian."

He chuckled and walked away, back to Lissa's side. Sighing, I turned around and went to the kitchen. Lucky me, no one was there. I hopped onto the counter and ate my plate full of desserts. After a few minutes, Andre walked in. I'd talked to him earlier this evening, but since then I hadn't seen him anymore. I offered him a smile, which he returned.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, leaning next to me against the counter.

"Hiding from your sister," I answered, swallowing a bite of the delicious muffin Rhea had baked. I offered him my other muffin. "You?"

"I need some peace and quiet," Andre said, taking a bite of the muffin. "I have a headache from all the babbling from that crowd in there. I swear, every year my parents are inviting more people."

"I'll stay home next year," I offered. "Then you'll have some food for the other guests, too."

"No, you're allowed to come," Andre said grinning. "Isn't that nice of me?"

"Very," I said sarcastically. "I'm so grateful, Andre."

He chuckled. "So my sister hasn't forgiven you yet, huh?" he said after a few moments, his face turning serious again. "I noticed her glaring at you earlier."

I shrugged. "Yeah, well."

"Don't let it get to you," Andre said. "She's just being stubborn. She learned from the best," he added, looking at me pointedly.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ stubborn!" I protested.

He smirked. "Yes, you are."

"No, I'm just strong-willed," I insisted.

Andre started laughing. "If that's how you want to call it, then sure… You're strong-willed."

We continued eating our muffins in silence. Suddenly, I remembered what I'd been meaning to ask him. I couldn't even believe it had slipped my mind – even if it had been only for a while.

"So… Where's Nathan?" I asked casually. "All your friends are here, but I haven't seen him."

Slowly, Andre looked up at me, a frown on his face. "Why are you asking? I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't," I said quickly. "I was just wondering."

"I didn't invite him," he answered. "And he's probably with Kayleigh right now."

"Who's Kayleigh? His girlfriend?" I asked. Would it be too obvious if I asked for her last name so I could look her up on Facebook and contact her?

"I guess," he said with a shrug. "I bet Mia isn't going to like that, although she didn't seem mad at all when she saw him with Kayleigh earlier this week. Mia's his ex-girlfriend," he explained. "One of many ex-girlfriends. But Mia's the only one he's been with for longer than a week." He paused and then said, "Hey, you know her too, I think."

"I do?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, from high school," he responded. "Same year as me. She was in my Chemistry class."

"What's her full name?"

"Mia Rinaldi," he said. "Sound familiar?"

My eyes widened in surprise. "Mia Rinaldi?!"

Mia had been a very popular girl in high school with her blond, curly hair and big baby blue eyes. I couldn't believe she'd dated Nathan. But it made it easier for me to contact her. I was sure she could tell me more about Nathan's other girlfriends and potential victims. It occurred to me, then, that Mia could be a victim as well.

"Told you you know her," Andre said grinning, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Yeah… I can't believe she dated Nathan," I said, playing my part. "She can get way better than that piece of shit!"

"Whoa, you really don't like him, huh?" Andre said, the grin still on his face.

I grimaced. "Not really, no. I'm sorry, but your friend is a jerk."

"I know," he said. "But hey, I'm glad you don't like him. You're one of the few girls that doesn't."

_Yeah, and maybe that's why I almost got raped,_ I thought bitterly. _And why he won't leave me alone._

"I have better taste, I guess," I said, faking a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so," Andre agreed as he looked up at me. He smiled and moved a little closer, resting his hand right next to mine on the countertop. "I'm glad you came, Rose."

"No problem," I said with a shrug and then jumped off of the counter. "We should probably go back. Your guests are waiting for you, Andre."

He grumbled something under his breath and followed me out to the living room. "Talk to you later," he said as he walked over to his friends.

I let out a sigh and joined my parents. I figured I should keep my father company because he looked rather bored as mom chatted away with Rhea.

"Hey Dad," I said as I stopped next to him.

He smiled at me. "Hey kiddo. Where have you been?"

"Just hanging in the kitchen with Andre," I answered. "Eating."

He chuckled, then shook his head sighing. "I see you haven't made up with Lissa yet."

"Nope," I said. "She doesn't want to make up."

"Well, it's her loss, then," he said with a shrug. He leaned closer so Rhea wouldn't hear us talking about her daughter and whispered, "If I were you, I wouldn't waste any more time on that girl if she's too stupid to see what a great person you are."

I smiled a little. "Thanks, Dad," I whispered back. He squeezed my hand in response. "I need to use the bathroom. Be right back," I told him.

I'd just left the bathroom when suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder and jerked me around. I tensed up and was ready to fight back if I had to, but when I looked up I was astonished to see it was Lissa.

"Stay away from Christian," she growled.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she said angrily. "I saw you two earlier." She shook her head and looked at me in disbelief. "You _hated_ him – you always have – and now, suddenly, I see you two laughing and talking like you're friends! I asked you so many times to give him a chance and now…now that we aren't talking anymore, you start talking to _him_? Are you doing this to spite me?"

"No!" I said, outraged. "And if you hadn't noticed, _Christian_ came to me. He started talking to me."

"That doesn't matter!" she screeched.

I looked at her in disbelief. Shaking my head, I said, "I can't believe you want to argue about _this_. It's so…pointless."

"Pointless?" she repeated, her eyes almost bugging out as she stared at me.

"Yeah," I said. "What does it matter if Christian talked to me? Do you feel threatened? You think I'm going to take him from you? Well, let me assure you. I don't want him. He was just chatting with me because he was bored as hell while you stood there giggling with Avery."

She gaped at me, stunned. "You're just jealous!" she said at last.

That might be true, but I wasn't going to admit that to her. "Can we just stop?" I said sighing. "I'm really tired of this, the fighting. I just want it to be over."

"It's your own fault we're fighting," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Because I didn't stay over on our sleepover?" I said. "That's just ridiculous. I apologized a hundred times for that and you just won't forgive me."

"It's not just that," she said, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. "It's…lots of things. You started acting differently all of a sudden and…you never wanted to hang out anymore because I'm with Christian."

"That's not true!" I told her fiercely. "I still wanted to hang out, but not with Christian all the time there. I tried so many times, but you were always busy with him and-"

"I wanted to hang out with you, too!" she interrupted. "I asked you to stay the weekend so we could rebuild our friendship. But you ran off! And you wouldn't even tell me why! That night, you were acting all weird, too. And you never told me why."

"I tried," I said, starting to get angry now. "I tried to tell you! But you always interrupted me, started talking about Christian again… You were never listening. It was like you didn't want to hear me!"

"Well, I'm listening now," she said. "Tell me why you're acting so strange and _maybe_ we can be friends again."

I stared at her, incredulous. "Are you kidding me? What makes you think I want to tell you now? After the way you've been acting towards me,_ ignoring_ me…"

"Then I guess there's nothing to be done about it!" she snapped.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. I spun around and saw Maya standing there awkwardly. "I don't want to interrupt, but, um, you're kind of blocking the way to the bathroom and if I were you, I'd lower your voices before the other guests hear you both shouting at each other."

Lissa looked outraged. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm Maya Thompson and I need to pee," she answered pleasantly. "So please move." Lissa clenched her jaw, about to protest, but then moved out of the way. Maya smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you."

She opened the door and started to go inside, but then turned around. "Oh yeah," she said, glancing between the two of us. Then her gaze settled on me. "I don't really know what's going on between the two of you, but quite frankly, from all the things I just overheard…" She sighed. "If I were you, Rose, I'd walk away now. She doesn't deserve your friendship."

"Excuse me?" Lissa said, indignant. When Maya didn't react, Lissa grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back roughly. "Don't ignore me!"

"Hey, let go of me!" Maya said, pushing Lissa away.

Lissa pushed back. "What's going on between me and Rose is none of your business," she said, clenching her jaw.

"Just saying what I'm thinking," Maya said with a shrug.

"I don't care what you're thinking," Lissa snapped.

"Well, I don't care-"

Maya screeched when Lissa started pulling on her hair. I stood there, stunned to silence. Normally, it was me who'd get into a fight while Lissa was always the calm, collected one. She'd always stop me from doing something I'd regret. And now _she_ was the one fighting – with a girl she didn't even know.

"Hey, stop it!" I exclaimed, snapping out of my stunned daze. "You're making a scene!"

Suddenly, a loud slap sounded in the hall. Lissa let out a gasp, stepping back and holding her cheek.

"Don't ever touch me again," Maya growled, pointing her finger at Lissa, "you selfish bitch!"

Lissa turned to me, an angry look on her face. "Aren't you going to do something?"

"Like what?" I said lamely.

"Oh my God, you're supposed to be my best friend!" Lissa yelled. "You should be helping me!"

That pissed me off. "Hey, you haven't been speaking to me in weeks! You made it clear you don't want to be my friend anymore. Ask Avery if you want help. She's your new best friend, right?"

Lissa opened her mouth to say something in return, but then an new voice erupted from the hall, interrupting Lissa.

"What's going on in here?" Rhea said, clearly annoyed, as she approached our little group. "I have guests downstairs!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dragomir," I said apologetically. "We didn't mean to disturb the party."

Lissa looked flushed. "Sorry, Mom."

Rhea sighed. "I don't know what's happened between the two of you," she said, looking from her daughter to me, "but please act like grown-ups about it and don't start any fights. If you can't talk without arguing then stay away from each other. At least, until the guests are gone. After, you can argue all you want in a more private setting."

Lissa cleared her throat. "That won't be necessary," she said icily. Her cheek was still red from Maya's slap. "Everything's already been said."

"You should go back downstairs now, Vasilisa," Rhea said. She looked at me sympathetically before following her daughter down the hall.

"Are you okay?" Maya asked as soon as we were alone.

"I'm fine," I muttered. "I appreciate you wanting to help me, but you didn't have to hurt her."

"She started it," Maya said, crossing her arms. "And she kind of deserves it, doesn't she?"

I looked at her. "I know she's been acting like a selfish bitch, but…she's still my friend."

Maya raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful. "Is she? I'm sorry that I have to say this, but it seems like she thinks differently."

I sighed. "I know."

"You're better off without her," Maya said. "And I don't know if you realize it, but where did all the fierceness and though attitude go? Did you throw it out the window or something?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We might not have talked to each other before tonight, but I know how you are," Maya said, looking at me pointedly. "You're the tough one. You always talk back and you win every time. But you just let Lissa walk all over you. Why? Because she used to be your best friend?"

Even though it was true what Maya said, I was still mad she said it. This girl was just like me – well, like I used to be – and right now I was in no mood for this discussion.

"I'm tired and I really want to go home now," I said brusquely, not bothering to answer her question. "Good night."

I went back downstairs to find my parents.

"Can we go home? I'm bored and I'm tired," I said to my father.

"Thank God," he groaned. "I've been wanting to go home for hours, but it seems like your mother is having the time of her life."

I glanced over at my mother who was laughing with some of her female colleagues, empty wine glasses in their hands. I wondered how much she'd drunk tonight. It must've been a couple of glasses because I haven't seen her laugh this much in ages.

"I'll go get her," Dad muttered, walking over to the small group of cackling women.

We left after saying our goodbyes to the Dragomirs. I was relieved when I finally got inside the car.

"Rose, I'm really starting to worry about you and Lissa," Mom said. "You didn't talk to each other all night." _Ha, if only she knew about our fight upstairs,_ I thought. There'd been plenty of talking there. Yelling, even. "What happened?"

Instead of giving the usual answer of 'we grew apart' I simply said, "I don't know." I sighed. "I don't know what the hell happened."

I did know one thing, though: after everything that had happened, we would never be able to restore our friendship. And that saddened me more than anything.

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><p><strong>Now you're probably all mad at me. Sorry! And you were probably expecting Nathan to visit, but don't worry, he'll turn up soon enough. ;)<strong>

**Hope you have a great weekend :) **


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 21<strong>

**RPOV**

Winter break was boring this year. Usually, I'd go shopping with Lissa or we'd go to the movies, have sleepovers… Now, all of that was gone. Most days, I just sat at home, watching TV. My dad had taken the week off so that meant I had to cancel all my practices with Dimitri, too. He would certainly notice if I'd leave for a few hours with my gym bag every day.

From time to time, I met up with Eddie and Viktoria. I was happy to get out of the house once in a while so I took every opportunity to see my friends. Even Adrian made time out of his 'busy' schedule to go to the movies with me. Now that we had a couple of weeks off, he'd go out and party every night and sleep during the day.

On Christmas Eve, I had dinner with my parents. This was one of the few times both my parents were at home for Christmas and I was really glad that we could spend it together as a family this year. After dinner, we exchanged gifts. My parents gave me an iPhone 6, which made me very happy. I currently had an iPhone 4 and it wasn't working properly anymore.

Like every year with Christmas, we watched a Christmas movie together. I got to choose so I picked 'Bad Santa' like usual. Mom wasn't happy about my choice, but Dad was grinning. He liked that movie just as much as I did.

After the movie, I went upstairs and called Dimitri. He answered on the first ring.

"Roza?"

"Hi comrade," I said. I could hear people talking in the background. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard Viktoria laughing. "You with your family?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Wish them a Merry Christmas, please."

"I will," he promised.

"And Merry Christmas to you, too," I murmured.

I could almost hear him smile. "Merry Christmas, Roza."

I let out a sigh. "I wish I could see you."

"Me too," he said softly.

"I really miss you," I admitted.

"I miss you too, Roza."

I sighed again. "Well, I should leave you with your family. Good night."

"Night, Roza. I love you," Dimitri said.

"I love you too."

I disconnected and went to bed soon afterwards. I stayed cooped up inside the house the next day. I was so relieved and happy when Viktoria called me a few days later.

"Hey Rose!" she said, chipper. "You wanna hang out and bother Ivan and Dimka in the gym?"

I laughed. "I'm not sure they're going to appreciate that."

"Sure they will! Meet me in half an hour at the gym?"

"Okay."

Quickly, I jumped up from my bed and got dressed. I went downstairs to the kitchen, where my Dad sat reading the paper.

"I'm meeting Viktoria," I told him. "I don't know when I'll be back. See you later, old man."

He didn't even look up from his paper. "Alright, kiddo. Have fun."

Dimitri and Ivan were both surprised to see us, but a smile covered Dimitri's lips quickly. I smiled back and walked over, hopping onto the bar stool.

"What are you doing here?" Dimitri asked.

"Viktoria felt like bothering you two today and invited me to come along," I answered with a grin.

Dimitri glared at his sister, who was smiling devilishly. "Yeah, we thought you could use some company. And we were bored, being cooped up inside the house all day."

"Well, I'm very glad to see you," Dimitri said, kissing the top of my head as he passed me. "Be right back."

"What about me? You're not happy to see me?" Vika said, outraged.

Dimitri glanced over his shoulder. "I see you practically every day. That's more than enough."

"You see Rose practicially every day, too!" Viktoria called after him as he went into his office.

"Not this past week," I said sighing.

"If it makes you feel better, Vika, I'm glad to see you," Ivan cut in, giving her a small smile.

Viktoria's face lit up immediately. "Thanks, Ivan."

I bit the inside of my cheek to refrain myself from saying that they should just get together already. Just then, Dimitri came back, oblivious to the looks Ivan and Viktoria were giving each other.

"So hey," Viktoria said, snapping out of her haze. "I kinda forgot to ask you, Rose, but what are your plans for New Year's Eve?"

"Umm, I've got none," I admitted reluctantly. Yeah, my life had become very boring in a few months' time. I didn't even have plans on where to spend New Year's Eve. "Why?"

She smiled. "Why don't you come over? The whole family will be there – and Dimitri of course."

"I'll be there, too," Ivan said, flashing me a grin.

Suddenly, Viktoria frowned. "But I shouldn't have been the one to ask," she said, looking at her brother. "_You_ should've asked her, Dimka. She's your girlfriend."

Dimitri looked flustered. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I completely forgot about that," he said as he glanced over at me. "Sorry, Roza. Will you come? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. But if you want to…" he rambled.

"Look at him," Viktoria said laughing and Ivan snickered.

I glared at the both of them and then turned back to Dimitri, smiling. "Of course I'll come."

Dimitri looked relieved.

"I'll invite Eddie, too," Viktoria said, taking out her cell phone to text him.

"Who's Eddie?" Ivan asked immediately, a jealous tone to his voice.

"A friend," Viktoria said, hiding a smile.

"Oh," was Ivan's response.

All of a sudden, someone cleared their throat behind us. "I'm sorry to interrupt all the fun going on here," Tasha sneered, looking anything but sorry. "But you've got a self-defense class in five minutes, Dimitri."

"Thanks, Tasha," Dimitri replied, a bit stiffly.

When she walked away, Ivan muttered, "Killjoy."

"When do you have to leave?" Dimitri asked, looking at me.

"Not anytime soon," I answered.

"So you'll still be here when I get back?" he said, hopeful.

I smiled. "Sure. I'll be waiting."

Dimitri smiled back and then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Okay, see you in a bit."

"I can't believe he forgot to ask you to come over for New Year's," Viktoria said when he'd left, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's fine. He's got a lot on his mind," I said, coming to his defense.

Viktoria's phone buzzed and she picked it up from the bar. "Eddie's coming!" she said with a grin. "Though he can't stay too long," she continued, reading his text. "He has to be someplace else, too." She got up from her stool. "Anyway, I need to use the bathroom. Be right back!"

I sat there alone with Ivan for the next few minutes. Ivan looked troubled as he dried off some glasses with a towel. Then, he suddenly said, "Seriously, how good a friend is this Eddie guy? Are they like…casual friends or are they close? Like, really close friends?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry, Ivan. He's just a casual friend."

"I'm not worried," Ivan said quickly. He laughed uncomfortably. "Why would I be worried? I was just wondering, looking out for Viktoria…"

"Sure you are," I said sarcastically.

"Yes," he said firmly.

I grinned. "Fine. If you say so."

He didn't respond, and even if he'd wanted to he couldn't have because Viktoria returned just then. She started babbling away about New Year's and how fun it would be.

After Dimitri had finished his class, he whisked me away from the bar, giving Viktoria and Ivan an opportunity to be alone.

"You don't have to be in the gym right now?" I asked as he pulled me to his apartment by the hand.

"No, Ivan will keep an eye on everything," Dimitri responded. I doubted that; it was more likely he'd keep his eyes on Viktoria the whole time. "Besides, I think it's about time I spend some time with my girlfriend. It's been almost a week since I've seen her."

I smiled at that. "I think your girlfriend would like that."

Dimitri opened the door for me and I walked inside. He followed me in and surprised me when he pushed me against the wall and kissed me passionately. I responded to the kiss eagerly, but pulled back after a while.

"Comrade, not that enjoy this," I said, letting out a small moan when his lips moved to my neck and sucked on my sweet spot, "because I do, I really do, but… I have to talk to you. It's…important."

"Okay," Dimitri said, though he wasn't pulling away.

I bit my lip, knowing what I'd say next would change his mood in an instant. "It's about Nathan."

Dimitri pulled away abruptly, his face darkening. "What about him? Did he text you? Did you see him?"

"No, no," I said quickly, trying to ease his mind. "No, nothing like that. It's actually good news… I think."

"Good news?" Dimitri repeated, looking doubtful.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think I found someone who might be a victim…and if she's not, she could still be useful because she knows him really well. She's his ex-girlfriend."

"Who is she?" Dimitri asked, interested. "And how did you find out about her?"

I told him about the Christmas party at the Dragomir's, where Andre had told me about Mia Rinaldi. Dimitri wasn't too happy that I hadn't told him sooner, but I explained to him that I'd wanted to tell him in person instead of over the phone.

"I know her, too," I told him. "She used to go to my school. She was in the same year as Andre."

"You think she'll want to talk about Nathan?" Dimitri asked. "And even if she does want to talk… Maybe he never hurt her. Maybe she doesn't know that he's hurting other girls. What then?"

"But maybe he _did_ hurt her," I countered. "We don't know. And that's why I have to talk to her."

"Do you know where she lives?" he asked.

"No," I said, "but even if I did, I don't think it's a good idea to talk to her now. It's Christmas and I don't really want to ruin her holiday. It'll ruin mine, too, if I have to bring up everything again," I added quietly.

"Okay," Dimitri said, squeezing my hand gently. "You don't have to talk to her now. You can wait until you're ready."

I nodded. "She'll be going back to campus after the holidays. I figured I could visit her there. Andre probably knows where she lives."

"I don't want you to go alone, though," Dimitri said. "Nathan will be walking around there, too. So I'm coming with you."

"But what about the gym? You can't just take a day off," I said.

"I'll work it out," he said dismissively.

I nodded. "Okay." Then, suddenly, I thought of something else. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea if you come along, though," I started tentatively.

He looked a little hurt. "Why not? You don't want me with you?"

"No, it's not that," I said quickly, trying to reassure him. "It's…" I sighed. "Well, you look a little bit intimidating. Maybe she won't want to talk if you're there."

Dimitri looked at me, incredulous. "I look intimidating?"

"Kinda," I admitted awkwardly. "You're so…big. And you always look so…stern." He frowned. "But people who know you," I added quickly when I saw the look on his face. "They know you're a very sweet and nice guy, always helpful, always-"

"Fine, I get it," Dimitri said, interrupting me. Then he asked, "Did you find me intimidating when you first came to the gym?"

"Maybe a teeny-tiny bit," I admitted. "But I already knew you were a nice guy. Otherwise you wouldn't have helped me get away from Nathan that night." He looked upset and I felt bad. "I'm sorry, but you just didn't smile that often. You're so stoic and, well, you're so tall I feel like a midget! But hey," I added teasingly, "now I know that you _do_ smile…from time to time. Like right now?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but then smiled reluctantly.

"See," I said, smiling myself. "I knew you'd smile for me."

"Fine, I won't come," Dimitri said with a sigh. "But you're not going alone. Promise me, Roza. You're not going to go alone."

"I won't go alone," I promised. "I'll… I'll take Christian! He knows, too, and he wanted to stay in the loop anyway."

"Okay," Dimitri agreed. "Then you're going with Christian. But if he can't go, you aren't going either."

"If he can't go, I'll ask someone else," I responded. I had no idea who, though, but I didn't tell him that.

He nodded. "Okay." It was quiet for a few moments, but then Dimitri suddenly asked, "You don't still think I look intimidating or that I'm stoic, right?" He looked genuinely worried. "You can tell me. I won't be mad or-"

I started laughing. "Stop worrying about that, comrade," I said earnestly. "It's like I said earlier… You look like that to people who don't know you. When I didn't know you all that well, I thought you were a little intimidating and stoic – that's true. But then I got to know you and I realized you weren't those things at all. We met through the worst of circumstances, but you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you for all the things you have done for me, but I also love you for who you are. You're sweet, kind, understanding, compassionate, funny,… I can keep going on and on if you want-"

Dimitri cut me off when his lips connected with mine. He kissed me with so much ferocity, I stumbled backwards. But his arms wrapped around me and held me firmly in place as his lips attacked mine. When he pulled away at last, I was breathless. My cheeks were flushed and my lips were swollen. I couldn't say I'd ever been kissed like that before. I had to admit that I liked it.

"I love you so much, Roza," Dimitri said, still breathing heavily.

"I love you more," I said teasingly.

He grinned. "Impossible."

And then he kissed me again.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked this chapter! I'll try to update the next one as soon as possible. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the chapter. I hope you have a nice dayevening! :) **


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you very much for your reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 22<strong>

**RPOV**

It was nice to see Olena again. Dimitri's other sisters were there tonight as well. They were both a few years older than Dimitri and both of them were married. Karolina and her husband had a son, Paul. He was just ten years old and was already almost taller than me! Sonya, Dimitri's other sister, had brought her husband too. They didn't have children, though, but from what I'd heard that would soon change. They were all very nice to me and I liked them instantly.

"When's Ivan going to come?" Viktoria complained as we sat next to each other on the couch. Then she gasped, looking at me with wide eyes. "You think he's going to cancel? Maybe he's going to some club or something instead."

I chuckled. "Don't worry, he'll be here."

I looked up, then, and saw Dimitri looking at me from across the room. He smiled before turning away and starting a conversation with Matthew, Karolina's husband. His family didn't know yet we were together, except for Olena and Viktoria. I had a feeling Yeva knew, too. She'd caught us sneaking glances at each other more than a few times.

Startled, I looked back at Viktoria when she grabbed my hand tightly. "The doorbell! It's probably Ivan!"

She got up and almost sprinted to the door. A few moments passed and then she returned with a disappointed expression on her face and… Eddie.

"Hey Eddie!" I said with a smile as I walked over to him and hugged him. "It's good to see you."

"Hey Rose," he said, returning my smile. He looked a little uncomfortable, in a house full of strangers, but seemed relieved to see me here. Viktoria grabbed his hand and pulled him along; wanting to introduce him to her family. "I guess I'll see you later!" he said with an awkward, little wave.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again, but no one seemed to notice – not even Viktoria. So instead of bothering anyone, I went to open the door myself. This time, it was Ivan.

"There you are!" I said. "You're a little late, Ivan. If I were you, I'd hurry inside. Viktoria is introducing Eddie to the family," I added with a wink.

He looked confused for a moment, but then it clicked. "Oh. Well, I guess I should say hi to her first, then," he said, avoiding my gaze as he quickly walked past me.

I smirked to myself and closed the door before following Ivan back into the living room. With a sigh, I took a snack from the table and sat back down on the couch. I watched as Ivan made his way over to Viktoria, tapping her shoulder and giving her a broad smile as she turned around.

"Hey Roza."

I tore my gaze away from Viktoria and Ivan and looked up to see Dimitri standing over me. "Hey comrade," I responded, giving him a smile.

Our legs brushed together as he sat down next to me. I looked around the room, but nobody was paying attention to us.

"What are you doing?" I asked, glancing down when his hand 'accidentally' brushed against my thigh. "I thought you were going to keep your distance to save ourselves the trouble of having your family all over us tonight?"

"I know," he murmured, leaning closer, "but it seems I can't stay away from you."

I grabbed my drink from the table to hide my smile. Taking a sip, I murmured, "Then you're going to have to try harder."

"I don't think I want to," he said softly. He was about to say something else, but then Karolina called for him and he sighed. He started to get up, but before he did, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, "You look stunning tonight, Roza."

I shivered a little when his lips pressed lightly against my ear. He gave me a quick smile before walking over to Karolina.

I took another sip of my drink, content that Dimitri liked my outfit. I'd dressed up for the occasion – and _maybe_ because I wanted to impress Dimitri. I was wearing a strapless black dress that I'd gotten from Lissa last Christmas. I hadn't been sure if I should wear it since Liss and I were over and done with, but then I thought, _screw her, she gave it to me and I'm not going to throw it away because we're not talking anymore_. Besides, this dress fit me like a glove; it would be stupid to just throw it into the bin.

"Hey again."

I looked up as Eddie approached me and gave him a warm smile. "Hey Eddie, glad you could make it."

He sat down next to me and said, "I can't stay long, though. Just wanted to come and say hi. And…"

He hesitated.

"And?" I pressed, wondering what was on his mind.

"Well… I've noticed for a while now that there's something going on with you, Rose," he said finally. "I've barely seen you these past few weeks and-"

"Hey, that's not true," I interrupted. "We met up several times last week."

Eddie smiled reluctantly. "True. But there's something different about you, Rose," he continued, a serious expression on his face. "Lately, you seem distracted and you're always busy…"

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Had he found out something?

"I don't know what's happening and I never asked because it's not any of my business." He glanced up. I followed his gaze and noticed he was looking at Dimitri. Then he turned his attention back to me. "But I think I know what it is that's got you so distracted," he said, giving me a pointed look.

_Oh._

"I saw you two talking earlier," he said, glancing over at Dimitri again. "And I saw the way he looked at you. It was the same look you were giving him just now."

I blushed and looked away awkwardly. "Um, Eddie…"

How the hell had he noticed?! Eddie had only been here for an hour and half of that time he'd spent being dragged around by Viktoria. It seemed he was more perceptive than I'd thought.

Eddie shook his head. "I don't know what to say, Rose. But I didn't expect you to be into older guys."

For a moment, I was worried he was angry, but then he looked up at me and a grin spread across his face.

"Well, I guess I could say I'm a little shocked," Eddie continued, "but… Viktoria introduced me to him when I first came in and he seems nice – hell, this whole family is so nice. They're smiling the whole time. I wonder, do they ever get mad?" he mused. Then he shook his head. "Anyway, I just want to say, if he makes you happy…" He shrugged. "Then who cares what everybody else thinks?"

Wow. I had not expected this from Eddie, but I was glad he was reacting this way. "Well, it's still kind of a secret," I responded. "There's only a few people that know."

"I figured," he said. "Otherwise you would've just told me about him, huh?"

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry. It's just… We're happy together and I don't want anyone ruining it for us because they think it's wrong. And I don't want him to get in trouble either. So we decided to keep it quiet for a while. Until I'm eighteen."

Not that we were doing a very good job at that, apparently. When I went to the gym, we tried to keep things professional when others were around, in case there were people there that knew me or my parents. But sometimes we'd slip up.

It wouldn't be so bad, though, if Dimitri's family found out; I doubted they'd be angry about it. But Dimitri didn't want to tell them right now because, according to him, I'd only get harassed the rest of the night and that was the last thing I wanted – or so he told me.

Eddie nodded in understanding. It was silent for a moment, but then he said quietly, "You know you can talk to me if there's something else going on, right?"

"Why would there be something else going on?" I asked.

"You know you can trust me, right?" he said, his voice soft but firm. "You can tell me anything and I'd help you."

"Of course," I said, uncomfortable now. "But why do you ask?"

"The way you looked when I said there's something different about you," Eddie explained. "Well, you looked panicked. Like you were afraid I'd figured something out I wasn't supposed to?"

_Dammit, Eddie. You're way too perceptive for your own good!_

"Am I right?" Eddie continued. "Is there something else going on – besides your secret relationship?"

"No," I lied.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. "Because I'd help you. You can count on me."

"That's really sweet of you, Eddie," I said, giving him a small smile, "but there's nothing else going on."

I hated lying to him and knew he'd be hurt if he found out one day all the secrets I'd been hiding from him. But I just couldn't tell him. I didn't want to get him into trouble, too, and this was hardly the time nor the place to tell such a thing.

Eddie studied me for a moment, then nodded and gave me a small smile. "Alright then."

I smiled back, relieved he was letting it go. Soon after, he had to leave and said his goodbyes to the Belikovs.

After dinner, which had been more like a feast, Paul wanted to go outside and play in the snow. He was bored of sitting around and hear the adults talk. Karolina was reluctant to let him play outside in the dark so I offered to go with him. Viktoria followed us outside and with the three of us we made a snowman.

Half an hour later, we were suddenly attacked by Ivan. He'd snuck up on us and flung several snowballs at us. I let out a squeal when one of the snowballs hit me right in the face. Viktoria screeched beside me and then screamed, "My hair! Do you know how long it took me to straighten it out?!"

Ivan was laughing loudly and Dimitri stood next to him, chuckling.

"You're going to regret you did that!" I yelled before crouching down and making a snowball of my own. I told Paul to do the same and he seemed excited there was going to be a snowball fight. He threw two balls at the same time; one at Dimitri and the other one at Ivan.

And so it started. After fifteen minutes, I was sodden. I'd managed to get a few good hits on Dimitri and Ivan, but I'd gotten a lot of snowballs back in return. Paul was squealing and laughing next to me while Viktoria was just trying to find a hiding spot and waiting until it was over, her arms over her head for protection. She didn't notice Ivan sneaking up on her and stuffing snow down her coat.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream and spun around, slapping Ivan repeatedly on his chest with her tiny fists. He just kept laughing and, suddenly, he leaned in and whispered something into her ear, then kissed her on the cheek. To say that I was surprised was an understatement. I think Viktoria forgot to fill me in on certain things.

I glanced over at Dimitri. He was busy fighting off Paul and hadn't noticed a thing – thank God. I don't think he would've been very happy with Ivan if he'd seen him kiss his little sister, even though it'd just been a peck on the cheek.

I turned away from Viktoria and Ivan, giving them some privacy, and walked over to Dimitri and Paul. Now that I wasn't being chased anymore, I was starting to get really cold. Right now, I wanted to do nothing more than go back inside and warm up.

"Comrade," I said, my teeth chattering. "C-can we go back inside now? I'm freezing."

"I'm sure you are in that little dress of yours," he said teasingly as he looked up at me. Paul was lying in the snow and making a snow angel; he didn't seem to find it cold at all.

"Hey, I'm wearing my coat, a scarf and my gloves!" I protested. "It has nothing to do with my clothing, but with all the snow you've been throwing at me. I'm all wet because of you!" My eyes widened when I realized what I'd said. Dimitri laughed. "Okay, I intended that to come out differently," I said, embarrassed. "It sounded a lot better in my head, I swear."

"What's so funny?" Paul asked.

"Nothing," Dimitri said quickly. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back and then my arms with his hands. "Better?" he asked. I nodded. I was still shivering, but with Dimitri's arms wrapped around me I felt slightly warmer. "Let's go back inside."

He took my hand and started for the door. I noticed that Viktoria and Ivan were gone; they must've gone inside already.

"Come on, Paul, it's time to go back inside," Dimitri said.

Paul got up reluctantly and followed us inside. Dimitri closed the door behind him. I wanted to follow Paul into the living room, but Dimitri pulled me back to him.

I gave him a questioning look. "What-"

He caught me off guard when he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. It was slow and sweet, and once again I felt the butterflies taking flight in my stomach. He smiled when he pulled away and brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"Well, that was a nice surprise," I said, smiling back.

His smile grew wider and he pecked my lips one more time before pulling me towards the living room, where the rest of the Belikovs were sat.

"Oh, you're all drenched," Olena said, fussing around. "Give me your coats so I can hang them to dry."

I sat down in front of the fireplace, hoping it would warm me up. Dimitri came to sit beside me. He surprised me again as he reached for my hands, rubbing them gently. I smiled at him gratefully. We got a few curious glances from his older sisters, but they didn't say anything about it.

The rest of the night, we talked and when it was almost midnight, we all gathered at the window to see the fireworks. Most of the Belikovs went outside to see it, but there was no way in hell I was going back outside. Dimitri stayed inside with me and so did Viktoria, Ivan and Yeva.

"Happy New Year, Roza," Dimitri murmured into my ear.

I looked away from the fireworks that had just started and glanced up at Dimitri. "Happy New Year, comrade," I whispered, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Dimitri reached for my hand and laced our fingers together. Smiling, I turned my attention back to the fireworks outside, feeling happy to start the new year with Dimitri beside me.

**DPOV**

It was nearly four in the morning when we left my mother's house. I was going to drop Rose off , but when we almost reached her house, she suddenly said, "I don't want to go home. Can I stay with you?"

I blinked, surprised. "You want to stay over at my place?"

She nodded. "If that's okay with you."

That was _more_ than okay with me. I'd love for her to stay the night so I could wake up next to her in the morning.

"I don't want to be alone tonight," Rose continued. "I want to be with you."

I glanced over at her. "I want that, too."

"So does that mean I can go home with you?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes at me.

I couldn't help but smile. "Of course." Then I remembered something. "Um, your parents," I started.

"They won't know," she said quickly. "They aren't home either and they won't be until tomorrow afternoon. They went to some party and booked a hotel room for the night. They don't want to drive back when still drunk." I raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned. "Yeah, when they go to parties, there's always alcohol involved. And_ lots_ of alcohol when I'm not there to witness it."

"Okay," I said, turning the car around with a grin. "I guess you're staying with me, then."

"You're sure you're okay with this, right?" Rose asked one last time when I unlocked the door to my apartment.

_Hell yeah._ Smiling, I leaned in to kiss her cheek and then gave her a little push forward. "Are you seriously asking me that question?"

She stepped inside and looked at me, returning my smile. "Just wanted to be sure, that's all."

Rose didn't have anything with her so I gave her one of my shirts to wear. It was obviously too big for her, but she still looked cute. I crawled into bed next to her and she snuggled closer to me. I draped an arm over her waist and pulled her even closer.

"You had fun tonight?" I asked softly.

"Hmm-mmm," she said drowsily, her eyes closed. I kissed her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked at me, a slow smile spreading across her face. "I'm happy I got to start the new year with you, comrade. I hope you'll be there next year, too."

"I will," I promised. "And the year after that, and the year after that one…"

She laughed softly. "Right. I don't think you'll be able to endure me that long."

"Don't say that. If I could, I'd be with you every moment of every day." I brushed my lips against hers. "I'm never going to leave you."

Rose smiled again. "You are so good to me. I'm so lucky to have you."

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, I'm the lucky one." She opened her mouth to protest, but I moved my lips against hers, cutting her off effectively. "No arguing," I murmured against her lips. "You know I'm right." I kissed her again. "Now go to sleep, Roza. I know you're exhausted."

Rose rested her head on my chest before closing her eyes. "I love you, comrade."

I tightened my arms around her. "I love you too, Roza," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I love you more than anything in the world."

I don't think she heard; she was already fast asleep. I let out a contented sigh and closed my eyes. I was exhausted myself so it didn't take long for me to fall asleep, happy that the love of my life was wrapped up in my arms.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because this is going to be the last happy chapter for a while, I think. Starting next chapter, things are going to get tough for Rose again. ;)<strong>

**Please leave a review and let me know if you liked it. And have a nice day/evening! :)**


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